Mumbai: Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the digital economy, compelling marketers to reassess consumer behavior and rethink traditional growth strategies. According to a new survey of senior marketing leaders, 67% expect a high level of AI-driven disruption to the consumer journey, with nearly all respondents anticipating significant shifts ahead.
To better understand which sectors are most exposed to this change, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Moloco, a leader in AI performance advertising, have jointly developed the Consumer AI Disruption Index. The index evaluates 17 consumer-facing industries based on their vulnerability to disruption from consumer-facing large language models and AI assistants.
These findings are detailed in a new report titled Battle for the Interface: Introducing the Consumer AI Disruption Index, which combines insights from a survey of 238 senior marketing leaders across five global regions with performance data from over 3,200 apps representing more than 200 billion downloads. The analysis draws on anonymized benchmarks from Moloco advertisers, including metrics on retention, user value, and acquisition costs, alongside organic and paid traffic data.
The report identifies news, travel, auto marketplaces, and retail as the industries most exposed to AI-driven disruption, where AI is rapidly compressing discovery and comparison stages of the consumer journey. In contrast, auto OEMs, fintech, financial services, media/streaming, and social platforms are assessed as being at the lowest risk, benefiting from stronger customer relationships, regulatory moats, and higher levels of inherent trust.
“AI is fundamentally reshaping how consumers interact with brands,” said Giorgo Paizanis, Partner at BCG and co-author of the report. “Our research shows that to win, marketers must build defensibility on three fronts: discovery, service, and customer relationships. Those who move early can turn this disruption into a durable advantage, recasting AI from a threat into a new channel for growth.”
The BCG x Moloco Consumer AI Disruption Index maps industries across two dimensions—risk of AI-driven disruption and strength of customer relationships—revealing four distinct archetypes:
Breached (such as travel, retail, and news): High disruption risk driven by AI-led discovery and comparison. Success depends on strengthening customer relationships and embedding AI into owned platforms.
Undefended (such as gaming, dating, and GenAI): Moderate disruption exposure coupled with weak brand loyalty, requiring a shift from transactional engagement to personalized, AI-enabled relationships.
Secured (such as fintech, financial services, and media/streaming): Lowest disruption risk due to trust and regulatory advantages, with opportunities to leverage AI for efficiency and hyper-personalization.
Contested (such as productivity): Strong customer equity but some exposure to service disruption, positioning these sectors to shape how AI integrates into their ecosystems.
“As consumers move from the world of search to the world of answers, we’re seeing a behavioral shift that risks disrupting digital brands across a broad range of industries,” said Paul D’Arcy, Chief Marketing Officer at Moloco and co-author of the report. “The companies that will thrive in this new age of AI will focus on longer-term customer relationships, owned digital surfaces like apps, and strategies that strengthen brand and loyalty.”
The report underscores that while AI-driven disruption is inevitable, brands that proactively adapt—by deepening customer relationships and redefining their role in AI-powered consumer journeys—can convert disruption into a sustained competitive advantage.
