This session goes beyond the hype and headlines to address the silent, structural shift that is beginning to redefine brand perception. AI’s role in how people interact with brands is often treated as search. That framing is dangerously simplistic. Today, AI systems act as silent intermediaries, shaping brand understanding using signals far beyond a brand’s owned channels – and none of that knowledge is shaped by advertising. We’ll ground this discussion with a view of how AI systems interpret several global brands today, a perspective that is often surprising and clearly illustrates the change already underway.
Key Takeaways:
- Technology: Where AI tech is today, where it is heading next, and how current capabilities (and limitations!) shape everything that follows.
- Consumers: How consumer behavior is shifting as AI becomes embedded everywhere – not just search, but everywhere: tools, maps, phones, literally every touchpoint.
- Brands: How AI systems surface, interpret, and explain brands, and what this means for brand equity. And it’s not a search problem.
- Future: What is likely to accelerate, and what remains genuinely uncertain – not based on assumptions, but state of technology, compute restraints, and adoption realities
Presenter: Marina Petrova, CEO and Co-Founder, Intentful
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT
Marina Petrova, CEO and Co-Founder, Intentful
Marina Petrova is a technology strategist focused on the real-world application of AI in brand communication. She is the CEO and Co-Founder of Intentful. Over the course of her career, Marina has more than 25 years of experience across technology, digital, creative, and media, helping brands transform how they connect with consumers across digital channels. She works globally with organizations navigating AI-driven change, and is a frequent speaker on applied AI, including engagements with the University of Oxford and the World Federation of Advertisers.
About Intentful: Intentful is a technology company that enables brands to become interactive, intelligent entities in the age of AI. Its Interactive Brand Infrastructure enables real-time engagement on behalf of a brand across ads, content, and commerce, and supports brand equity by shaping how AI interprets the brand. Some ACA members may remember RitBot – Mark Ritson’s AI alter ego at WFA Global Marketer Week in Toronto in 2024 – it was built by Intentful for WFA.