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Content Management System Article

Joy to the Content World: Storyblok Brings AI Innovation and Human Connection to JoyConf 2025

matt-garrepy

JoyConf Stories: Netlify’s Matt Biilmann on the Power of the Storyblok Partnership

Your Next CMS Decision Could Make or Break Your AI Strategy

katie-austin

<hr /> AI has already changed the way you work. You plan with it, write with it, maybe even build prototypes with it. Everything feels faster now, except your CMS.Somehow, the very system designed to keep digital experiences moving still takes hours, sometimes days, to bring ideas to life. Delays caused by complex workflows, overlapping handoffs, and unclear ownership continue to slow teams down.That’s the irony of the AI era. Companies pour resources into “AI-powered” tools, yet most don’t see the promised outcomes. AI has transformed how we generate content, but not yet how we deliver it. And nowhere is that gap more visible than in content management.AI in CMS should come with governance and outcomes, and that’s the vision behind <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://bit.ly/velocitylaunch">Velocity</a>, Hygraph’s approach to bringing real, sustainable speed to content operations.<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><a href="https://hygraph.com/velocity-at-scale?utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=velocity&amp;utm_content=blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/velocity-at-scale-promo.png" /></a></figure><h3 id="the-hype-that-got-us-here">The hype that got us here</h3>AI may feel like a sudden revolution, but it’s been a long time in the making. Years of progress in data, computing, and accessibility have brought it to everyone’s fingertips.When Google introduced the transformer architecture in 2017, it changed the way machines understood language and relationships, paving the way for models like GPT. Massive open datasets, from Wikipedia to GitHub, gave those models real-world fluency. Cloud platforms and GPUs made training them feasible for more teams. Then, public APIs removed the final barrier, letting anyone integrate intelligence into their products.Once generative tools like ChatGPT and Copilot arrived, AI became part of everyday work. It started helping with content creation, design, code generation, and analytics. Headless CMSs became the proving ground for practical AI. With APIs at their core and content flowing through every channel, they sit at the perfect intersection of data, design, and delivery, exactly where AI can create real impact.<h3 id="the-promise-vs.-reality">The promise vs. reality</h3>AI promised to reinvent content management around three pillars: time to market, intelligence, and personalization.In theory, it sounded perfect. Teams could ideate, generate, and publish faster than ever. Content would be smarter, more adaptive, and more relevant. But in practice, most organizations haven’t reached that point. Around 71% still say they lack the structure and best practices needed to get tangible results from AI.The problem is coordination. AI accelerates creation, but it doesn’t automatically fix how teams collaborate, approve, and launch. In most organizations, content and development still run on separate timelines and tools, which means every update turns into a negotiation instead of a workflow. Without a system that manages all that complexity, the benefits stall.<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:85.54%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761149163545.png" /></figure>Source: Hygraph Virtual Keynote. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://bit.ly/velocitylaunch">Register to see the full demo</a>.<h3 id="what-makes-an-ai-powered-cms-work">What makes an AI-powered CMS work</h3>AI can write, tag, translate, and analyze at impressive speed. But speed alone isn’t the metric that matters. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://hygraph.com/blog/ai-content-management">A modern CMS needs to make that speed reliable</a>.That means <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://hygraph.com/blog/ai-content-governance">putting governance first</a>: defining who can use AI, what it can change, and how every action is reviewed. It means designing collaboration so editors and developers work in parallel, not in sequence. And also focusing on outcomes instead of features: how much friction was removed, how quickly a campaign went live, and how clearly results can be measured.Hygraph’s CPTO, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariolenz/">Dr. Mario Lenz, </a>describes the gap:“Without governance, AI stays a demo. With it, it becomes a business accelerator.”A truly AI-powered CMS functions like an operating system for business velocity. Every part of the content lifecycle: modeling, creation, collaboration, and delivery, runs faster because it’s connected, governed, and measured.<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:85.78%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761149163447.png" /></figure>Source: Hygraph Virtual Keynote. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://bit.ly/velocitylaunch">Register to see the full demo</a>.<h3 id="building-velocity-that-lasts">Building velocity that lasts</h3>A recent Forrester study found that faster time to market has overtaken customer acquisition as the top driver of CMS investment. Speed now is strategy.But velocity isn’t about automation for its own sake. It’s about giving teams the freedom to move faster without losing control. When design, development, and editorial teams can move together, ideas reach the market while they still matter.AI is already helping that happen. You can see it in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://hygraph.com/blog/why-visual-builders-dont-fit-the-ai-era">the rise of prompt-based design</a>, where intent replaces manual configuration, and in structured content that adapts instantly across channels. These shifts are reducing complexity and closing the gap between creativity and delivery.This is the foundation Hygraph is built on. The platform brings developer flexibility and editorial autonomy together so both sides can move at full speed. Developers work with GraphQL, schema as code, and open APIs. Editors work with AI Assist, Variants, and Visual Preview—tools that make publishing faster and safer. Every AI action follows permissions, approvals, and version control, ensuring that speed never comes at the expense of governance.That balance between creativity and control is what makes velocity sustainable. It’s how organizations move from experimenting with AI to actually scaling with it. <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtube.com/watch?v=NHuUSei5O0k&amp;feature=youtu.be"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NHuUSei5O0k" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="see-velocity-in-action:-hygraph’s-virtual-keynote-on-october-29">See velocity in action: Hygraph’s virtual keynote on October 29</h3>Hygraph’s upcoming virtual keynote explores this next stage of AI and velocity, where you’ll see, during a live demo, how a multi-brand retailer builds and launches experiences in real time, guided by AI.The session brings together our leadership team to share the vision behind it, followed by a panel with Vertu Motors, Ancestry, and partners from Intelliact and Datrycs on scaling velocity across enterprises.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://bit.ly/velocitylaunch">Register to watch the keynote</a> and explore how the next generation of CMS turns AI speed into real business momentum. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <figure class="image image-style-block-align-left image_resized" style="width:28.08%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1759840698475.png" /></figure><h4 id="raise:-lifting-content-into-the-future-with-agentic-cms"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://kontent.ai/events-and-webinars/raise/">RAISE: Lifting Content into the Future with Agentic CMS</a></h4>November 11, 2025 – London, UKJoin Kontent.ai at RAISE: Lifting Content into the Future with Agentic CMS, a premier free event for forward-thinking marketing and technology leaders shaping the way today’s most ambitious brands create and deliver content. Expect bold ideas, discover innovative strategies, engage with industry leaders, and gain insights that will lift your content strategy to new heights. At RAISE, you'll learn how to deliver faster, more engaging content experiences while AI does the busywork of audits, compliance, and localization with Agentic CMS, built to give you and your teams more time on creativity that matters. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://kontent.ai/events-and-webinars/raise/">Reserve your seat today.</a> <img style="width:29.67%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1761136749603.png" /><h4 id="live-webinar:-can-we-ever-get-composable-without-complexity?"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/webinar-cmscritic">Live Webinar: Can We Ever Get Composable Without Complexity?</a></h4>November 20, 2025 – 6 PM (CET) / 5 PM (GMT) / 12 PM (EST)Composable architecture promised to simplify digital experience creation by giving organizations the flexibility to combine the technologies that met their needs. But for many enterprises, it’s done the opposite, which has led to complex integrations, spiraling costs, and what some are now referring to as composable regret. In this live conversation, Umbraco CEO Mats Persson joins Matt Garrepy, Chief Content Officer at CMS Critic, for a candid exploration of what went wrong in the first wave of composable and what needs to change. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/webinar-cmscritic">Register for the webinar.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

AI Made Everything Faster. It’s Time Your CMS Caught Up

cms-critic-staff

Fight the Cognitive Overload: Brightspot Lights the Way to Productivity with its Evolutionary CMS Release

Agentic CMS: Why Kontent.ai’s Vision for the Future of Content Management is Inspiring 

<hr /> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wagtail">Wagtail</a> is literally for the birds. Because everything about it is fly.If you haven’t tried it, you’re in for a treat. First, it’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.python.org/">Python-based,</a> which is universally popular and offers a fun framework for creative play. In minutes, you can use their starter kit to spin up a virtual environment, isolate your dependencies, and install the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/wagtail">CMS package from GitHub.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.wagtail.org/en/stable/index.html">The docs</a> are clean and easy to follow, and there are simple templates for kicking things off. Oh, and there’s a great community backing things up via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wagtailcms.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-32p71hq4n-FC9dYEwKlKdEdgDX5u~tjA#/shared-invite/email">Slack</a> (and more). Like it said, it’s fly.As a former builder who sometimes pines for Dreamweaver and still gets giddy at the sight of code, Wagtail is a great open source tool for managing content at enterprise scale. It’s trusted by tens of thousands of organizations worldwide, including visible brands like NASA, Google, and MIT. It’s also earned nearly 20,000 stars on GitHub. So it’s fun – but it’s also fully equipped to power some serious sites. From a usability perspective, Wagtail brings a clean, intuitive, and inviting UX to the table, offering some nice bells and whistles to make the editing experience a breeze. Everything is within arm's reach, so you can really stretch your wings when managing pages, editing blogs, and more.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:86.81%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image.png" /></figure>Creating and editing a blog in Wagtail CMS. Source: Wagtail YouTube channel. Wagtail appeals to a diverse range of organizations, from governments to businesses to cultural organizations. As an open source project, it has carved a unique niche in the landscape, often as an alternative to more established staples like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a> or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a>. It also focuses keenly on accessibility as a foundational tenet.  What’s in a name? The word is the bird. The brainchild of UK-based <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://torchbox.com/">Torchbox</a> – a global agency that offers digital marketing solutions for charities and public sector organizations – the identity was fashioned after the charming <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagtail">Wagtail bird.</a> These avians were fixtures on the lawn outside the company’s offices, and reflected the light, easy, and delightful sensibilities of the software.Torchbox is part of that rare breed of mission-focused businesses. It’s employee-owned, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Corporation_(certification)">B Corp Certified,</a> and has cultivated a culture that’s dedicated to making a difference in the world. They have an inspiring story, and Wagtail is just one chapter of it. Wagtail has flown into our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards">CMS Critic Awards</a> over the last few years, rallying its global community to participate. It’s clear that the platform has amassed a loyal “flock” of users, and that’s a tribute to its flexibility and ease of use. Along with its Django-style models for customizing data structures and functions, Wagtail’s CMS has some great features in its 7.0 release. I spoke to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/meagenvoss/">Meagen Voss,</a> a member of the Wagtail Core Team and the Partnership and Community manager at Torchbox, and she shared some of the latest “chirps” from the platform. From workflow enhancements to its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.wagtail.org/en/stable/topics/streamfield.html">Streamfield</a> updates that power improved previews, you can get a tight overview of what’s taking flight in this latest version: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/r5RbV7TveFU"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r5RbV7TveFU" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="learn-more-at-wagtail-space-2025">Learn more at Wagtail Space 2025</h3>Whether you’re a veteran user or new to Wagtail, you can get the lowdown on current innovation and what’s ahead at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wagtail.org/wagtail-space-2025/">Wagtail Space 2025</a> – the organization’s annual shindig. It’s a free virtual event designed for creators aiming to learn more about the platform or level up their Wagtail skills. The event is happening next week from October 8 – 10, and is drawing a collective of educators, publishing professionals, developers, open source evangelists, and digital leaders from across the globe. The format offers an array of talks from community members, some dynamite use cases, and networking with fellow Wagtailians. Highlights include sessions like The State of Wagtail with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibaudcolas/">Thibaud Colas</a> of the Wagtail Core Team, Matt Westcott on Where Next for Wagtail Search?, and Juan Aguayo sharing the Bogotá Digital Library’s Wagtail success story. With AI being a central focus across the CMS industry (and everywhere else), Wagtail Space is weaving it into the conversation. Sage Abdullah and Tom Usher will lead a session called Wagtail: Responsible Innovation for Content Editors, while Trish Thomas will share strategies for creating connections between stories and objects using AI.Other talks dive into AI-driven content editing, government design systems, and innovative approaches to publishing. You can check out the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wagtail.org/wagtail-space-2025/schedule/">full schedule here.</a>If you’ve been curious about Wagtail, this might be a good “first flight” in a friendly formation. The community is fun and welcoming, which is one of the great benefits of open source projects like this. It’s also a breeze to get started, so I encourage checking it out. Interested in joining the flock? Learn more and register <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wagtail.org/wagtail-space-2025/">on the event website.</a> <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-wagtail?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Wagtail? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Birds of a Feather: Wagtail Space 2025 Offers 3 Days of Open Source Exploration

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

#000000

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/nishant-patel">Nishant Patel</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/amit-aggarwal"> </a>is the co-founder and CTO at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack</a> and a CMS Critic contributor. <hr /> When the internet first went mainstream, it was innovative just to have a website. Later, it was a blog. Then a mobile version. Each step felt like a leap forward in how brands showed up online.But we’ve entered a different era. With the rise of AI, simply “having a presence” doesn’t stand out to customers anymore. What does stand out is how adaptive that presence can be.By emphasizing personalization, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/resources/case-study/land-olakes-boosts-conversion-rate-by-38-with-lytics-cdp-personalization?utm_campaign=fy26_glb_os_thought-leadership&amp;utm_medium=press-link&amp;utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_content=nishant-cmscritic-october">Land O’Lakes</a>’ animal nutrition brand Purina increased conversions to an average of 30% and improved its ability to keep visitors on the website for longer. That’s the power of experiences designed for individuals, not audiences.So what does the future look like? Two words: context management.<h3 id="content-vs.-context-management">Content vs. Context Management</h3>For years, brands doubled down on producing and managing content. But with the technology available and the siloed way data was collected, they were mostly guessing what a segment of people wanted. A brand can crank out endless content, but if that content isn’t in response to an individual’s real-time signals, what good will it do?Content management won’t cut it today. Context management is the only strategy that will reach and move audiences to action. (This, coming from someone who created the first <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/resources/report/complete-headless-cms-guide?utm_campaign=fy26_glb_os_thought-leadership&amp;utm_medium=press-link&amp;utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_content=nishant-cmscritic-october">headless CMS</a>.)Unlike content management, context management seeks to piece together the full story of the problem or desire that the customer wants to solve, based on signals they send. For example, a Gen Z customer might see a product they like on social media. From there, they might quickly search that product—via a search engine or LLM—and land on your website. Imagine they click “shop” and see the exact product they’ve been searching for in front of them, without any deep dives. That’s a brand experience just for that individual, adapted instantly after a quick scan of their browser history. In the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/blog/announcements/welcome-to-the-context-economy?utm_campaign=fy26_glb_os_thought-leadership&amp;utm_medium=press-link&amp;utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_content=nishant-cmscritic-october">Context Economy</a>, the value of a brand no longer comes from the volume of content published, but from how intelligently a brand’s experience adapts to the customer’s signals. Is your digital experience technology equipped to handle it?<h3 id="where-context-meets-agentic-ai">Where Context Meets Agentic AI</h3>Brands have been moving towards context management for a long time. According to the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://content.martechday.com/state-of-martech-2025.pdf">2025 State of Martech report</a>, the center of the Martech stack has shifted over the last two years to data warehouses and customer data platforms. I like that because you can’t be smart without data. But I also think it's a curious choice, because data can never act alone. Brands need to pair data systems with a CMS to turn data into insights, activate those insights, and connect with customers. What happens if you supercharge that with automation and agentic AI? Here’s what a true <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/blog/ai/agentic-ai-101-whats-an-ai-agent-and-when-should-they-be-used?utm_campaign=fy26_glb_os_thought-leadership&amp;utm_medium=press-link&amp;utm_source=cmswire&amp;utm_content=nishant-contentcon?utm_campaign=fy26_glb_os_thought-leadership&amp;utm_medium=press-link&amp;utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_content=nishant-cmscritic-october">agentic AI</a> ecosystem might function like:A flash sale is about to go live. Instead of scrambling across teams—marketing, legal, supply chain, development, brand—AI agents handle the campaigns.One agent writes the copy. Another ensures it’s on-brand. An anti-hoax agent flags suspicious assets, while a supply chain agent checks inventory. Once the plan is greenlit by humans, a promotion agent takes over to launch the campaign, update the homepage, and email the right audience. As performance data rolls in, yet another agent optimizes the campaign in real time, ensuring it reaches the right people in the right moments.Again, keep in mind this shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all experience. Individual A receives one version, while Individual B receives a completely different version, based on the context they provide. Both move the customer to form a deeper connection with the brand in different ways.This is not a distant future. Contentstack enables that reality today.<h3 id="embrace-agentic-with-contentstack’s-agent-os">Embrace Agentic with Contentstack’s Agent OS</h3><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/academy/content/adaptive-personalization-with-agent-os">Contentstack’s Agent OS</a> is a breakthrough in agentic AI that allows AI and automation to operate with full brand and customer context to drive one-to-one interactions. Agents tap into a brand’s content, voice, audience insights, and existing Contentstack tools to handle predictable tasks and enforce on-brand outputs where it matters. Automations remove the need to switch between tools, set up manual workflows, and configure repetitive, low-value AI prompts.This is context management: combining data, content, and brand intelligence in real time to enable customer-driven experiences at scale.<h3 id="how-to-get-your-context-in-order">How to Get Your Context in Order</h3>So how do you prepare for an agentic future, today? <ol><li>Know your customer. Make sure customer data is being captured with the right systems, and that you’re pulling in real-time signals you can actually act on. That might require getting marketing and IT together in one room until that’s figured out. Even better, use data systems already <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/platforms/real-time-cdp?utm_campaign=fy26_glb_os_thought-leadership&amp;utm_medium=press-link&amp;utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_content=nishant-cmscritic-october">embedded in your CMS</a>, so you don’t have to configure complicated integrations and fixes to connect data and content.  </li><li>Know your brand. This isn't just about logos and tone and voice. Understand how your brand is most relevant to your customer and adds value to their life. Do they want to be educated? Entertained? Make sure you’re fulfilling that need.  </li><li>Commit to the moment. Once you understand the intersection between customer and brand, use AI and LLMs to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/blog/tech-talk/how-ai-powered-personalization-enhances-customer-experience?utm_campaign=fy26_glb_os_thought-leadership&amp;utm_medium=press-link&amp;utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_content=nishant-cmscritic-october">personalize content</a> for customers in the right channel, at the right time.</li></ol>The “one-size-fits-all” web has been dying for a long time. Now, with modern digital experience platforms like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/platform?utm_campaign=fy26_glb_os_thought-leadership&amp;utm_medium=press-link&amp;utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_content=nishant-cmscritic-october">Contentstack Edge</a> that combine content, data, and agentic AI in real-time, there’s a better customer experience waiting. We can finally move on to the era of context management.

The Death of the One-Size-Fits-All Web

nishant-patel

<hr /> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a> is shaping up to be a home run – and it’s not only because <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/batter-up-sitecore-symposium-2025-brings-jesse-cole-of-savannah-bananas-to-the-plate">Jesse Cole </a>of the Savannah Bananas is taking the field as a keynote speaker.Now, the DXP is bringing another heavy hitter to bat: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulroetzer/">Paul Roetzer,</a> founder of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://smarterx.ai/">SmarterX</a> and the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/">Marketing AI Institute.</a> An acclaimed and respected voice in the AI landscape, Paul’s transformative thinking has helped business and marketing leaders harness the value of AI, apply it responsibly and ethically, and maintain a core focus on people and purpose. Together, the duo promises to deliver a double play of marketing and AI knowledge to Symposium attendees.“Paul is at the forefront of helping marketers understand what this means and how to respond,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sitecore-taps-veteran-eric-stine-as-ceo-to-lead-next-phase-of-growth-and-innovation">Eric Stine,</a> CEO of Sitecore. “At Symposium, his insights will connect directly to what Sitecore does best: enabling marketers to create personalized experiences that reach the right people, with the right message, even as discovery gets harder.”Sitecore Symposium is taking place November 3-5 at the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://swandolphin.com/">Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort</a> in Orlando, Florida. One of the industry’s premier annual events, this year’s Symposium promises to bring together more than 1,500 marketing and digital leaders to explore how AI is changing how we discover and connect with brands – and how marketers can stay ahead in the agentic era.“The shape of internet traffic continues to change at lightning pace, transforming discovery and challenging brand experience,” Eric continued. “Agentic intelligence allows marketers to unlock the power and the potential of precision marketing techniques – like programmatic ABM – at scale, and to ensure experiences are context-aware, personal, and relevant across every channel so you can reach every customer where they live today: in the summaries and social feeds that are rapidly replacing search and click.”<h3 id="a-“go-to”-voice-for-ai-">A “go-to” voice for AI </h3>Paul Roetzer is known across industries for his luminary thinking and real-world perspective on AI, but his entrepreneurial journey began well before the current generative and agentic boom. After graduating from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, he founded PR 20/20, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/hubspot">HubSpot’s</a> first partner agency. After establishing it as a pioneering force in the digital marketing space, he sold it in 2021.Roetzer’s blended foundation as both an agency innovator and AI educator has given him a practical, story-driven approach. He’s put this to work helping professionals and leaders reimagine business models, reinvent industries, and rethink what's possible as AI continues to transform the market. In addition to his business developments, Roetzer is also the co-author of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Artificial-Intelligence-Future-Business/dp/1637740794">Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing and the Future of Business,</a> and the host of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/podcast-showcase/">The Artificial Intelligence Show podcast</a>. He's a recent episode for your consideration: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUAuB5g_oCw"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SUAuB5g_oCw" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> In addition to digital content, Roetzer is also behind the renowned <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/events/marketing-artificial-intelligence-conference">Marketing AI Conference (MAICON),</a> which will be held in October of this year. His free monthly “Intro to AI” class has also drawn more than 40,000 registrants.As a speaker, Roetzer is focused on making AI approachable and actionable for marketers and business leaders. He has consulted with hundreds of organizations, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, and has become one of the foremost authorities on the shape and direction of AI.<h3 id="loading-the-bases-with-top-tier-industry-speakers">Loading the bases with top-tier industry speakers</h3>As mentioned, Roetzer joins keynote speaker Jesse Cole, founder of the Savannah Bananas, whose fans-first philosophy has redefined loyalty and engagement. Together, they embody Symposium’s theme: bold voices and practical innovation to help marketers thrive in a new era of speed, scale, and human-centered experience.“Marketers are facing a wave of change from the collapse of traditional search to the rise of AI agents and intelligent discovery,” said <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellebb/">Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek,</a> Chief Marketing Officer at Sitecore. “Paul brings clarity and urgency to this shift. He’ll help marketers move from theory to action and show what it really takes to stay visible and relevant in this new era.”Symposium 2025 is the place where marketing leaders connect, learn, and prepare for the future of digital experience. Register today at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">symposium.sitecore.com</a> and join the conversation on LinkedIn and X with #SitecoreSYM. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-sitecore?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Sitecore? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Sitecore Taps AI Strategist Paul Roetzer for Keynote at Symposium 2025

Is ‘evidence-based creativity’ the must-have marketing skill for the age of AI? Contentful’s research says yes

<hr /> If screen legend Eric Roberts is sometimes known as the “Busiest Actor in Hollywood” (he's racked up over 700 credits in film and TV), then <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/">Agility CMS</a> CTO <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/playing-to-win-in-the-headless-cms-game-interview-with-joel-varty-cto-at-agility">Joel Varty</a> has a valid claim as “The Busiest Man in the CMS industry.”Seriously. This year, Joel has released comprehensive video playlists on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/vartys-videos-a-ctos-take-on-nextjs">Next.js</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/vartys-videos-all-about-composable">composable content</a>. Now, he’s back to complete the trilogy with this latest YouTube series, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEI81bLU4t-uQbH7IZOLUvShAqKGhTlFA">Next-Level Dev: AI Meets Code</a>. We've got an exclusive wrap on this new edition, and you can watch all the videos below. We've even pulled some of Joel's Oscar-worthy quotes from each installment. Just for fun. So grab your popcorn, put away your DVD copy of Runaway Train, and prepare for a blockbuster knowledge drop. <h3 id="video-1:-building-a-vs-code-component-from-a-screenshot">Video 1: Building a VS Code Component from a Screenshot</h3>This is an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/a-gathering-of-content-champions-heres-why-cms-connect-25-was-super-in-every-way">award-winning</a> video. Literally.Joel opens with his <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/a-gathering-of-content-champions-heres-why-cms-connect-25-was-super-in-every-way">CMS Connect 25</a>, CMS Idol-winning demo. Within the Agility <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/product/headless-cms">headless CMS</a> platform – and in six swift minutes – Joel shows:<ul><li>How starting in your codebase (instead of the CMS) saves time.</li><li>The way AI assistants like Claude read your existing project patterns and build components to match.</li><li>Why this approach makes hard-to-visualize use cases simple and fast to deliver.</li></ul> Fun Joel quote: “I don’t even know what this is.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kh9eU1gWaU">Watch Building a VS Code Component from a Screenshot here</a>:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kh9eU1gWaU"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Kh9eU1gWaU" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="video-2:-can-you-code-ai-with-agility-cms?">Video 2: Can You Code AI with Agility CMS?</h3>Think of this as a longer, code-first expansion of the first video.Joel wires Agility CMS into a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/starters/nextjs">Next.js</a> site, starting code-first. He covers what the AI-assisted workflow looks like and why it matters for developer efficiency and editor usability. He also breaks down:<ul><li>Reverse workflows by taking a React component and letting AI convert it into an Agility CMS component without a manual boilerplate.</li><li>Using AI to add elements like dark mode support, consistent container spacing, and scroll-triggered effects.</li><li>Letting AI scaffold so <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/product/developers">developers</a> can focus on testing, code reviews, accessibility, and performance.</li></ul> Fun Joel quote: “I’m going to go boom.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtq-SgVbP_I\">Watch Can You Code AI with Agility CMS? here</a>:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtq-SgVbP_I"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xtq-SgVbP_I" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="video-3:-oops!-no-dark-mode?-let’s-fix-it-together">Video 3: Oops! No Dark Mode? Let’s Fix it Together</h3>Joel shipped a hero component without dark mode.But fear not! AI to the rescue! Joel uses an AI agent to retrofit the component properly. Not only does he cover what to change, but also why the pattern matters for consistency across the site. He also dives into:<ul><li>Aligning spacing, tones, and dark-mode behavior with existing components.</li><li>Best practices for reviewing diffs and safely accepting changes.</li><li>How to iterate fast and make small manual edits where needed.</li></ul> Fun Joel quote: “It looks like it’s doing a bunch of stuff. Then it undid some stuff.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fl7avmXx3k">Watch Oops! No Dark Mode? Let’s Fix it Together here</a>:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fl7avmXx3k"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5fl7avmXx3k" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="video-4:-watch-me-build-a-carousel-with-ai,-mcp,-and-next.js">Video 4: Watch Me Build a Carousel with AI, MCP, and Next.js</h3>This is a bigger, hands-on video. Joel installs the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/cdejongfiero/agility-cms-mcp-server">Agility MCP (Model Context Protocol) server</a>, explains what MCP is, and shows how a code-first + AI approach accelerates modeling and implementation while maintaining Next.js conventions. You’ll also see:<ul><li>How to go from a simple <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/figma">Figma</a> sketch to a carousel component model and item content model using AI.</li><li>Correct <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/nextjs">Next.js</a> routing and file naming.</li><li>The developer’s job to craft precise AI prompts, review diffs, run tests, and enforce performance.</li></ul> Fun Joel quote: “Here’s my quote, unquote design. I am not a designer.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SgX8Yx39YQ">Watch Watch Me Build a Carousel with AI, MCP, and Next.js here</a>:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SgX8Yx39YQ"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7SgX8Yx39YQ" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="video-5:-github-copilot-vs-cursor-vs-claude:-the-ultimate-ai-coding-showdown">Video 5: GitHub Copilot vs Cursor vs Claude: The Ultimate AI Coding Showdown</h3>The last video in the series is the big, winner-take-all battle.Joel compares <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/features/copilot">GitHub Copilot,</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code">Claude Code (CLI)</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cursor.com/en">Cursor</a> by adding personalization to a Next.js background hero using Agility CMS. He also covers:<ul><li>The exact fields and list requirements for personalization.</li><li>How this exercise was set up, executed, and validated.</li><li>How developers ensure quality within AI scaffolding.</li></ul>Who takes it? You’ll have to watch. Fun Joel quote: “It’s not working. No, it’s not working. That did not work.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tJQC_CHXYY">Watch GitHub Copilot vs Cursor vs Claude: The Ultimate AI Coding Showdown here</a>:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tJQC_CHXYY"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_tJQC_CHXYY" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="the-post-credits-scene:-the-repeatable-loop">The Post-Credits Scene: The Repeatable Loop</h3>Whether intended or accidental, Joel’s series showcases that AI won’t replace developers. And maybe that’s the point.Each episode in Joel’s series sort of reinforces the same loop:<ol><li>Developers Start: It’s dev intent, through things like prompts, that drive the work. </li><li>AI Scaffolds: It drafts the boring parts.</li><li>Developers Stay Accountable: For things like naming, accessibility, performance, and overall quality.</li></ol>In <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://agilitycms.com/blog/i-taught-a-little-and-learned-a-lot-at-cms-connect-25">Joel’s recap of CMS Connect 25</a>, he pointed out that for AI experimentation, nobody has “cracked the code” on a singular, best way to do it. But in Next Level Dev: AI Meets Code, he may have found a workable formula where dev input and AI output are given equal consideration and craft.We’ll see. Until then, we're looking forward to the next installment of Varty’s Videos. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-agility?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Agility? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Varty’s Videos: Where AI Meets Code

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/andycohen">Andy Cohen</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/deane"> </a>is the founding architect of Sitecore XM Cloud. He is VP/Chief Architect at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.altudo.co/">Altudo</a>, and a CMS Critic contributor. <hr /> When people talk about personalization, they often mean “the right content to the right person at the right time.” That idea is now past tense.I have watched this shift play out up close, from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore’s</a> early rules-based personalization, through <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack’s</a> use of edge-based personalization in a composable architecture, to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely’s</a> launch of Opal, a system of marketing AI agents. Personalization no longer stops at swapping content on a page. It now reaches into the interaction itself, and soon, into the relationships agents form with one another.<h3 id="when-agents-adapt-to-us">When Agents Adapt to Us</h3>That shift, from “what” to “how,” is where the major CMS players are already moving, and you can see it in the different bets they're making:<ul><li>Contentstack has put its weight behind <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/livin-on-the-edge-contentstacks-new-adaptive-dxp-might-just-rock-your-world">EDGE</a>, which they call a hyper-personalization platform. It blends their headless CMS with a real-time CDP, AI, and automation. The goal is simple but ambitious: deliver one-to-one experiences in the moment and at scale. Because it is composable, brands can adapt interactions without locking themselves into rigid patterns. What strikes me about EDGE is that it reframes personalization as something continuous, not a campaign you set and forget.</li><li>Optimizely has taken another route with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-opal-gets-supercharged-for-agentic-ai-powering-infinite-use-cases-for-marketers">Opal</a>. Instead of a single assistant, Opal is built as a collection of agents that act like members of a marketing team. There is a campaign manager agent, a personalization advisor, a market researcher, and more. With the 2.0 release, Optimizely put the emphasis on letting these agents collaborate and run multi-step workflows across content, data, and experimentation. I have seen teams spend weeks coordinating those same steps manually. Opal hints at a world where marketing execution is handled by an ensemble of digital teammates who can plan, act, and adjust together.</li><li>Sitecore has focused on bringing assistance directly into daily work. Through <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.sitecore.com/products/sitecore-stream">Stream</a>, they have introduced AI copilots that support authors and marketers in real time as they draft and optimize campaigns. On top of that, Sitecore’s partnership with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sitecore-sharpens-ai-focus-with-strategic-partnership-and-new-leadership-appointments">Gradial</a> shows how agentic workflows can extend into campaign execution. It is not just about smarter editors or quicker drafts. It is about agents that can carry intent through to delivery and adapt along the way. For a company that has lived for years in the world of static content publishing, that is a meaningful step forward.</li></ul>None of these approaches feels like a gimmick.They are different answers to the same problem: personalization is no longer about what content you are shown, it is about how the interaction unfolds. Whether that happens through hyper-personalization at the edge, through orchestrated marketing agents, or via copilots and execution partners, the shift is real and already in motion.<h3 id="what-nondeterminism-really-means">What Nondeterminism Really Means</h3>Most software behaves like math: 2 + 2 always equals 4. Generative AI does not. Ask it to draft a thank-you note and you will get three different answers, all plausible, none identical. That variability is what we call nondeterminism.It is the very thing that makes AI feel creative, but also the reason it needs personalization to stay useful. As <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://parivedasolutions.com/perspectives/managing-the-non-deterministic-nature-of-generative-ai/">Pariveda Solutions points out</a>, nondeterminism is what makes AI flexible and creative, but it also introduces governance challenges that remain unresolved. In my own work with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/getting-loud-with-xm-cloud-sitecore-reports-100-growth-of-its-ai-powered-cloud-based-cms">XM Cloud,</a> I have seen how unpredictable outcomes can be a feature if the system adapts well – and a liability if it does not.<h3 id="when-agents-adapt-to-each-other">When Agents Adapt to Each Other</h3>The next frontier is agents adapting not just to us but to each other. Nondeterminism multiplies when two autonomous systems interact. They need ways to converge on workable outcomes.Sometimes that looks like adjusting communication style, where one agent is structured and terse, another free-form and verbose. Sometimes, it means learning to accept differences in task style, such as fast approximation versus cautious step-by-step reasoning. Other times it's about role negotiation: who leads, who validates, who escalates.And sometimes it is memory. Agents do not just adapt in the moment; they remember. That memory can look like a grudge. A search agent that hallucinated last time will get fact-checked the next. A procurement agent that botched a deal may face stricter oversight. Even first impressions stick. If an agent’s very first hand-off is sloppy, the other agent may never fully trust it, no matter how good the later work becomes.Humans behave the same way. In corporate life, one bad kickoff meeting can color a partnership for months. Agents will carry those patterns too.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.deepset.ai/blog/ai-agents-and-deterministic-workflows-a-spectrum"> Deepset calls this the “spectrum of determinism to nondeterminism</a>.” I call it relationship management.<h3 id="everyday-illustrations">Everyday Illustrations</h3>Picture a grocery agent told to buy apples if they are $0.99 a pound. A deterministic system comes back empty because they are $1.09. An adaptive one checks with you, “They are a little higher today. Should I buy anyway?” That is useful, until the store’s own agent learns to nudge yours into paying even more.Or ride-hailing. You set a $20 target. The price surges to $23. Do you want your agent to decline, wait, or decide on its own? What happens when the ride-share’s agent starts upselling yours into priority pickup at $28?Or travel. You say, “Book me a flight under $500.” The system finds none. A flexible agent returns with, “There is one at $525 with better times. Should I grab it?” Helpful, but it shows how quickly rules can bend.In the enterprise, this gets thornier. Procurement policies might cap software licenses at $50 per seat. A deterministic agent halts the deal. A personalized one negotiates to $55 and closes it. That looks like a win until you realize the vendor’s agent deliberately anchored higher, knowing yours would flex upward.Healthcare raises the stakes even more. You ask for an appointment with your doctor next week. A rigid agent says none available. A personalized one offers a nurse practitioner tomorrow or a specialist in two weeks. That looks like a better experience, but it could also push you toward higher-margin services instead of the care you really wanted.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/deterministic-ai/">Salesforce has written about this exact problem</a> of when to script agents tightly and when to let them roam. I see it every day in delivery projects. Too rigid and you frustrate users. Too loose and you open the door to manipulation.<h3 id="agents-that-carry-“you”-with-them">Agents That Carry “You” With Them</h3>Now push it further. Imagine your agent not only executes tasks but carries your personality footprint into every interaction. If you are cost-sensitive, it pushes harder. If you are time-poor, it pays more for speed. If you are detail-driven, it double-checks everything.What if you could swap personas entirely?<ul><li>"Frugal Andy" does the grocery shopping</li><li>"Executive Andy" books the flights</li><li>"Playful Andy" explores games and hobbies.</li></ul>Your agent would not only personalize to you. It would personalize as you.But there is risk in this. If the other agent knows who you are or which persona you are using, it can adapt back. That can be powerful when aligned with your goals, but it can also be exploited. Imagine a vendor agent that recognizes executive mode and steers you toward premium packages.This is not hypothetical. Optimizely’s Opal agents already act like different team members depending on context. Contentstack’s Brand Kit lets you define voice profiles and store guidelines so that every AI-generated artifact reflects your identity. Sitecore’s Stream copilots are designed to guide content creators in real time, aligning their work with brand and role expectations.These are early signals of a future where agents carry pieces of us, including quirks, preferences, and even biases, into every exchange.<h3 id="why-this-matters">Why This Matters</h3>This is why nondeterminism is not a flaw but the feature. Deterministic systems did not need personalization. There was only one output. Nondeterministic systems can go in many directions, and personalization is what prevents chaos.The best metaphor I know is jazz. Musicians improvising do not know exactly where the others will go. They adapt, they respond, they personalize their playing to the group. The music works not because it is scripted but because the players trust each other enough to bend and flex.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/seizing-the-agentic-ai-advantage">McKinsey has argued</a> that this adaptability is the defining advantage of agentic AI. From what I have seen in publishing systems, SaaS cost optimization, and large-scale CMS migrations, I agree. The resilience comes not from rigid plans but from the ability to adapt in context.<h3 id="what-leaders-should-prepare-for">What Leaders Should Prepare For</h3>Leaders should focus on their readiness in key areas. For example, trust frameworks must extend beyond human-agent interactions into agent-to-agent ecosystems. Standards cannot stay as fixed APIs; they need flexibility built in. Identity management has to protect personality profiles and alter egos from misuse. And agents must be able to remember not just what they did for us, but how they worked with others.<h3 id="the-future-of-personalization">The Future of Personalization</h3>Personalization started with content. It evolved into experiences. Now, it is moving into interactions – first with humans and then with other agents.If we get this right, nondeterminism will not be something to suppress. It will be the source of resilience, adaptability, and creativity. The companies that thrive will not just personalize their websites. They will personalize their agents. Those agents will adapt to us, and to each other, in ways that reflect who we are or even who we choose to be.And like humans, they will remember. First impressions will matter. Grudges may form. And relationships between agents will start to look a lot like relationships between people. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Agent-to-Agent Personalization: Trust, First Impressions, and the 'Grudge' Factor

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