Intermediation Layer Shift
When a new technology becomes the decision gateway between consumers and products, whoever controls that gateway gains the power to reconfigure market power structures. Old intermediaries become obsolete while new ones rise to prominence, reordering the direct relationship between brands and consumers.
Articles on this principle
- Intermediary Layer Shift: When AI Agents Become the New Internet Gatekeepers
From Google deciding "which result ranks first" for humans, to ChatGPT deciding "which content to recommend"—each time the intermediary changes, the wealth distribution of the internet ecosystem reshuffles. WordPress VIP warns: brands that fail to please both humans and AI will be marginalized.
- AI as the New Intermediary: Why Brand Loyalty Programs Must Be Rewritten
When 56% of consumers let ChatGPT filter brands for them, no amount of ad spending can escape the AI filter—the old game of "acquire customers → accumulate points → maintain loyalty" is dead.