The New Rules of Connection: Q&A with B2BMX 2026 Keynote Speaker Ashley Faus

**The Future of B2B Marketing: Human Connection in the Age of AI**
In today’s digital landscape, artificial intelligence can generate content in milliseconds, but one critical element remains impossible to automate: trust. As AI-generated noise increases, connecting with humans behind the screen is vital for business success. Ashley Faus, a renowned marketer and speaker, will center her keynote speech at B2BMX 2026 on this topic.

**The Intersection of Technology and Human Connection**
Faus has spent years developing frameworks that help brands navigate the complex intersection of technology and genuine human connection. Her work has been featured in major publications like TIME and Forbes, cementing her status as a leading voice in modern marketing strategy. At Atlassian, she has successfully pressure-tested these concepts at an enterprise scale, proving that prioritizing community, authenticity, and human connection is key to B2B marketing success.

**Building Trust in the Age of AI**
Faus argues that traditional marketing playbooks are no longer effective in building trust with audiences. Instead, she advocates for a “playground” approach, where audiences chart their own journeys through engagement and discovery. She emphasizes the importance of storytelling in building trust, highlighting that stories help marketers connect problems with solutions for people and show that they understand their audience’s needs.

**Using AI as a Tool, Not a Crutch**
Faus believes that AI can be a helpful tool in marketing, but it should not replace human connection. She recommends testing AI tools in workflows and giving teams time to explore and report on their use of AI. Faus also emphasizes the importance of keeping an open mind about adapting and expanding marketing frameworks as new tools and tactics become available.

**Common Mistakes Brands Make**
Faus identifies two common mistakes brands make when trying to build trust: assuming that brand-forward content and channels are the most effective, and bait-and-switch tactics that break trust at every step of the journey. Instead, brands should prioritize community, authenticity, and human connection, and focus on matching problems with solutions for people.

**Finding a Balance between Automation and Human Touch**
Faus recommends realizing that not everything needs to be automated and that some steps should remain human. She emphasizes the importance of ideation, discovery, testing, validation, and determining priorities and goals, which should be handled by humans. Automation can be used to support these efforts, but it should not replace human connection.

**Measuring Trust and its Impact**
Faus recommends using a mix of leading and lagging indicators to measure trust and its impact on marketing efforts. These metrics include shares of assets on social media, views or impressions, consumption rate, and press coverage, as well as references, citations, and backlinks. Longitudinal studies and qualitative feedback can also provide valuable insights into brand perception and trust.

**The New Rules of Social Media**
Faus believes that the biggest shift in social media is moving away from using it as a one-way broadcast channel. Instead, brands should prioritize community, where they are a participant, not the focus. This means shining the spotlight on customers, partners, and industry experts, and engaging with people where they already spend time.

**Key Takeaways**
Faus hopes that the audience will leave her keynote with the reminder that while the tools have changed, and the journey has changed, the people remain the same. Marketers need to get back to the fundamentals of matching problems with solutions for people, and prioritize community, authenticity, and human connection to win and re-win their hearts, minds, and wallets.

Source: B2BMX 2026