Key stat: According to an October 2025 survey by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and The Harris Poll, 71% of US marketers believe that establishing ethical and privacy standards should be the top priority when preparing for a future in which consumers delegate tasks to AI agents. Beyond the chart: Only 30% of consumers worldwide completely trust AI to make purchases on their behalf, according to a May 2025 Kantar survey, despite the rollout of agentic checkout features across platforms like Google, Amazon, and ChatGPT. At the same time, early adopters are already engaging in transactions: 29% of consumers have made a purchase solely based on an AI-generated response, with 87% of those buyers reporting satisfaction, according to an October 2025 survey from Optimizely. Use this chart: Incorporate this data into strategy decks when planning your AI agent roadmap. It reflects the industry consensus that trust frameworks must precede technical integrations. This insight can help justify prioritizing ethics and privacy initiatives before API development or content reformatting, especially when stakeholders emphasize speed over safeguards. Related EMARKETER reports: - Top Trends to Watch in 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required) - Retail Trends to Watch in 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required) Methodology: This data derives from the November 2025 ANA and The Harris Poll report titled "Signals from the Stage: What the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference Revealed About the Future of Brands. " The survey included 151 US marketers—comprising both client-side marketers and marketing solutions providers such as agencies, media companies, and industry consultants—who attended the 2025 ANA Masters of Marketing Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Between October 21-24, 2025, four polls involving six questions were conducted through The Harris Poll’s QuestDIY platform. Each question garnered an average of 96 responses, with a range of 66 to 151.