---
id: "framework-three-types-ai-interactions"
type: "framework"
source_timestamps: ["§ The Three Types of AI Agent Interactions"]
tags: ["market-evolution", "ai-typology"]
related: ["concept-brand-agents", "concept-consumer-agents", "concept-full-ai-intermediation"]
steps: ["\\\"Brand agents engaging directly with human customers (e.g.", "Capital One's Auto Navigator).\\\"", "\\\"Consumer agents acting on behalf of human individuals across multiple brands (e.g.", "Claude's computer use).\\\"", "\\\"Full AI intermediation where AI agents interact autonomously on both sides of the transaction without direct human involvement (e.g.", "ChatGPT agent booking via Hostie AI concierge).\\\""]
sources: ["agentic"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-agentic"
originDay: 6
articleStem: "hbr-ext-18-preparing-brand-agentic-ai"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/03/preparing-your-brand-for-agentic-ai"
sourceTitle: "Preparing Your Brand for Agentic AI"
---
# The Three Types of AI Agent Interactions

A taxonomy of how brand–consumer relationships are evolving beyond direct human-to-human engagement into AI-mediated modes. The three types are a spectrum of *decreasing* direct human involvement:

1. **[[concept-brand-agents]]** — company-controlled agents engaging directly with human customers (e.g., [[entity-capital-one-d18]]'s Auto Navigator).
2. **[[concept-consumer-agents]]** — independent agents acting on behalf of human individuals across multiple brands (e.g., Anthropic's Claude using computer use).
3. **[[concept-full-ai-intermediation]]** — AI agents transacting autonomously on *both* sides, with no direct human involvement (e.g., a ChatGPT agent booking via the [[entity-hostie]] concierge over [[entity-opentable]]).

This typology (the *what is changing*) pairs with [[framework-three-stages-agentic-adoption]] (the *what to do about it*).