🔥 Hot take: most of what you’ve heard about AI and shopping behavior is either overhyped, unproven, or just plain wrong.
At Quirk’s Media Chicago, we’ll lead a session designed to stress-test the biggest claims — live, with real consumer voices in the room.
We’ll cover:
✅ AI as the new search starting point
✅ Consumers outsourcing routine purchase decisions to AI
✅ Whether AI recommendations are earning real trust
✅ How AI is quietly shaping the consideration set before consumers even realize it
The format is simple: here’s the claim, here’s what a real consumer actually said, now let’s debate whether the shift is real, emerging, or noise.
No vendor pitches. No hype. Just honest signal-finding for brands and insights teams who need to understand where to pay attention — and where to wait.
AI and the new decision journey: What’s real vs. what’s hype
📍 Room 1 | 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm | Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Meet the speakers:
Gram Bowsher and Reid Searls of Nailbiter
Lauren Maffettone of L’Oréal
