The B2A era has already begun, and companies are still talking to the wrong audience

For years, B2B marketing has operated under a relatively predictable logic: brands talking to people, vying for attention, building authority and, in the best case scenario, generating demand. But this dynamic has just changed, and silently.

The rise of artificial intelligence agents inaugurated a new layer in market relations: the era of B2A, or Business to Agent. It's not just about automation or gaining operational efficiency. We are talking about systems that mediate decisions, filter information, recommend suppliers and, in many cases, decide before a human even enters the scene.

This changes everything.

If before the challenge was to be relevant to those who decide, now it needs to be understood, interpreted and prioritized by those who recommend: the algorithms. And this requires a thorough review of marketing and sales strategies, especially in the B2B universe, where the decision cycle is more complex.

Today, AI agents are already actively participating in the purchasing journey. They summarize research, compare solutions, analyze digital reputation and indicate paths based on objective criteria. In this scenario, it is no longer enough to have a good speech. It is necessary to have a structured, consistent and, above all, machine-readable digital presence.

This starts with something basic, but neglected by many companies: data organization. Confusing websites, generic content, outdated information, in addition to a lack of clarity, make not only the human experience difficult, but also the interpretation by AI systems. If the algorithm doesn't understand what you do or doesn't find reliable evidence, you simply cease to exist in the new recommendation logic.

Another critical point is digital authority. For a long time, authority was associated with human perception: branding, reputation, presence at events. Now, it also goes through objective signals: content consistency, qualified mentions, reviews, response time and coherence of information across different channels. AI agents do not “believe” in brands, they validate data and present facts.

This directly impacts demand generation. The traditional funnel, based on attraction, nutrition and conversion, is beginning to be redesigned. Part of this process starts to be mediated by systems that reach the lead with a pre-analysis carried out. This shortens cycles, increases demands on the clarity of the offer and reduces the space for superficial approaches and requires transforming the commercial relationship.

This movement is already beginning to be reflected in the job market. Recent analyzes by the International Labor Organization (ILO) indicate that artificial intelligence does not necessarily replace functions, but reconfigures tasks within occupations, expanding the level of exposure to technology in different sectors. The impact, therefore, is not just in the elimination of jobs, but in the transformation of work as a whole, requiring new skills and accelerating the need for adaptation on the part of companies and professionals.

In Brazil, this transformation tends to be even more challenging. Although the country appears among the global leaders in automation and AI adoption, many companies still live with legacy systems, fragmented processes and low digital maturity. In practice, this reveals a paradox: Brazil is advancing quickly in the adoption of AI, but is still slow in its ability to transform technology into business value. This mismatch tends to become one of the main factors of competitive differentiation in the coming years.

The result could be a new market division. On the one hand, companies and professionals who see artificial intelligence as a business strategy and invest in governance, integration, training and value generation. On the other, organizations that continue to treat AI only as a one-off tool, without reviewing processes, culture or operational model.

Some B2B sectors tend to come out ahead in this race. Technology, financial services, healthcare and industries with a high level of digitalization already have a more structured basis for incorporating AI agents into their operations. But the opportunity is not restricted to these segments, it is available to any company willing to reorganize its way of communicating, selling and positioning itself.

The big change, in the end, is one of perspective.

We are no longer just competing for attention. We are competing for interpretation.

And, in the B2A era, whoever can be understood first by machines, then by people, wins.

*Victor Paiva is the founder of HIP, an agency specializing in storytelling and B2B marketing with international operations, and organizer of TEDxFortaleza.