05 · Agentic search and buying

When AI Agents Enter the Buying Journey

AI agents are entering parts of the buying journey, while people and organizational controls remain accountable. This keynote helps leaders audit whether agents can find, interpret, evaluate, and act on approved information.

Enterprise marketing, product, commerce, and digital-strategy leaders30 to 45 minute keynoteEnglish or Spanish

Funded, not free. Semrush funds Fernando's research and stage time, so there is no fee to the event. Engagements are selected on audience fit rather than budget. Travel and logistics are discussed once an event is confirmed.

Business decisionChoose the first cross-functional agent-readiness priority
Audience outcomeA five-layer readiness checklist
Research baseFernando's published practitioner framework
AdaptationJourney examples matched to approved audience scenarios
Outcomes

What changes after the session

01

Map bounded agent activity against human intent and approval.

02

Audit five layers of agent readiness without invented scores.

03

Assign the first priority to the team that can actually change it.

Take it back to work

A framework the room can use

Valuable for

Enterprise marketing, product, commerce, and digital-strategy leaders.

Framework

Discoverability, Parsability, Token Efficiency, Capability Signaling, and Trust Signals.

Use this after the keynote to

audit whether agents can find the information, extract it efficiently, understand available capabilities, and verify the source.

The room leaves with

A cross-functional readiness checklist and a clear first priority between marketing, product, and technology.

Inside the keynote

Three decisions, shown clearly

Authentic research material and representative samples show the visual and editorial standard. Final examples are verified and adapted before every event.

Representative sample
Human intent. Agent research. Human approval.Agents can research and compare within bounded workflows. Humans and organizational controls remain accountable for consequential decisions.Scope: Representative journey model; no adoption rate or forecast probability.Boundary: An agent is not presented as the legal buyer or final decision-maker.Read the source
Representative sample
By 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI-agent intermediated.Forecast: Gartner predicts that by 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI-agent intermediated.Scope: Gartner, Gartner Unveils Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2026 and Beyond, published October 21, 2025. Forecast horizon: 2028. B2B buying; geography and sample are not specified in the press release.Boundary: This is a forecast, not an observation. Intermediated does not mean agents are the legal buyer or make every final decision; humans and organizational controls remain accountable.Read the Gartner forecast
Representative sample
Five layers of readiness.Audit Discoverability, Parsability, Token Efficiency, Capability Signaling, and Trust Signals, then assign one first owner.Scope: Fernando's published five-layer practitioner framework.Boundary: Not a validated causal model and not an agent-selection score.Read the source
Narrative

How the argument develops

  1. Place agents inside a bounded buying journey.
  2. Separate the published framework from interpretation and forecast.
  3. Run the five-layer audit and assign one owner.
Research foundation

Framework plus a labeled forecast

Framework scope: Fernando's five-layer practitioner framework assesses how AI agents can find, interpret, and evaluate a brand's digital presence. It is not a validated causal model for ranking or agent selection.

Forecast: Gartner predicts that by 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI-agent intermediated.

Forecast scope: Gartner, Gartner Unveils Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2026 and Beyond, published October 21, 2025. Forecast horizon: 2028. Geography and sample are not specified in the press release.

Evidence boundary: This is a forecast, not an observation. Intermediated does not mean agents are the legal buyer or make every final decision; humans and organizational controls remain accountable.

Sources

The practitioner framework and external forecast are labeled separately.

Read the five-layer framework
Read the Gartner forecast
Fit and non-fit

The right depth for the right room

Best fit

Enterprise leaders coordinating marketing, product, commerce, governance, and technology.

Not designed for

Not autonomous purchasing advocacy, legal advice, or a technical agent-building workshop.

Delivery proof

Research built for a live room

Fernando Angulo speaking on stage to an engaged conference audience
Fernando speaking to an engaged conference audience. Photo: Fernando Angulo archive. This image demonstrates delivery experience and does not claim to document this exact keynote.
Speaker

Fernando Angulo

I research how people, and increasingly AI systems, discover, evaluate, and choose brands, then turn that evidence into decisions marketing leaders can defend.

Senior Market Research Manager at Semrush, an Adobe company

View speaker profile
Organizer resources

No email is required. The PDF is approximately 2.5 MB and includes approved bios, keynote topics, audience fit, formats and languages, selected appearances, contact details, and press-photo access.

Download speaker kit (PDF, 2.5 MB)
Open press photos
Organizer FAQ

Questions before you shortlist the talk

Does the keynote argue that agents will replace human buyers?

No. It examines bounded agent participation while keeping people and organizational controls accountable for consequential decisions.

How is the session adapted for an event?

The decision, examples, audience seniority, market context, and evidence boundaries are reviewed before delivery. The core research claims remain sourced.

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Does this decision belong on your stage?

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Or review the speaker kit (PDF, 2.5 MB)

REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE · THESISHuman intent. Agent research. Human approval.Agents can research and compare within bounded workflows. Humans and organizational controls remain accountable for consequential decisions.Journey model · Market: not market-specific · Time window: not applicable · Sample: not applicable
REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE · FORECASTBy 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI-agent intermediated.Gartner predicts that by 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI-agent intermediated.Gartner · 2025 · Gartner Unveils Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2026 and Beyond · Forecast horizon: 2028 · Market: B2B buying, geography not specified · Sample boundary: not provided in the press releaseBoundary: This is a forecast, not an observation. Intermediated does not mean agents are the legal buyer or make every final decision; humans and organizational controls remain accountable.Read the Gartner forecast
REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE · DECISIONFive layers of readiness.Audit Discoverability, Parsability, Token Efficiency, Capability Signaling, and Trust Signals, then assign one first owner.Practitioner framework · Market: not market-specific · Time window: not applicable · Sample: not applicable