JAMS Call for Papers: AI-Driven Marketing: Agents, Interfaces, and Ecosystems

Guest Editors: 
Dennis Herhausen, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Stephan Ludwig, Monash University; Australia
Venky Shankar, Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University, US 

 Submission Window: June 1 – July 31, 2026

1. What inspired you to propose this special issue on AI-driven marketing?

We were inspired by the profound shift we are witnessing in marketing. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a back-end tool for automation or prediction—it is becoming an active participant in exchange. AI systems increasingly act as agents, interfaces, and orchestrators within consumer–firm, firm–consumer, consumer–consumer, and firm–firm interactions. AI is also constantly disrupting the value chain and creating new business models and opportunities. Building on the foundations of marketing in computer-mediated environments, we see a need to rethink how value is co-created, contested, and governed when both humans and machines act as decision-makers. We hope that the special issue provides a timely opportunity to bring together diverse perspectives on how AI is reshaping the very fabric of marketing exchange.

2. What do you hope this special issue will achieve for both the academic and practitioner communities?

For academics, we hope the issue will advance theory by integrating AI into core marketing concepts such as agency, trust, value co-creation, relationship management, and human-machine interactions. The contributions should open new research directions and provide methodological innovations for studying dynamic human–AI agent and agent–agent interactions. For practitioners, we aim to provide insights into how firms can design, govern, and deploy AI responsibly while creating meaningful value for customers and partners. By highlighting both opportunities and risks, the special issue aspires to bridge cutting-edge research on managerial practice and spur policy debates.

3. What advice would you give to scholars considering a submission to this issue?

We encourage scholars to be bold in their thinking and innovative in their methods. We urge them to submit their best work in this area. Strong submissions will not only document new phenomena but also connect them to broader theoretical frameworks and marketing principles. Interdisciplinary work that integrates insights from diverse fields such as computer science, psychology, information systems, economics, and law is particularly welcome. We also encourage empirical-first approaches that leverage new forms of structured and unstructured data—such as conversational logs, simulations, and digital trace data—to capture the richness of AI-driven exchange. Above all, submissions should highlight the marketing relevance of their findings and offer clear implications for both scholarship and practice.