Steven Forth is the founder of Value Intelligence (ValueIQ) and a longtime leader in value-based pricing. He is also a co-creator of The Value Project, an open-source initiative focused on creating standards for value and pricing models that both humans and AI can understand.

Steven Forth is back on the podcast—and as usual, he and Mark waste no time diving into a topic that feels a little futuristic, a little controversial, and a lot important: What happens when AI becomes the buyer?

This is another thoughtful debate where Steven's vision for AI-powered buying collides with Mark's 'healthy' skepticism.

If you've ever wondered how pricing, value, and buying decisions will evolve in an AI-driven world, this conversation offers a fascinating glimpse into what comes next.

Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast:

• Discover how AI buyers will evaluate vendors and why companies that don't provide structured pricing and value data may be ignored—or worse, misrepresented by AI systems.
• Learn why pricing transparency may become unavoidable as AI agents increasingly compare solutions, estimate costs, and evaluate alternatives on behalf of buyers.
• Understand the emerging infrastructure behind AI-powered purchasing and how open-source value and pricing standards could reshape the future of B2B sales.

"If you don't want the AI to hallucinate about your company, you should give it the data it needs to do its job." – Steven Forth

Topics Covered:

02:00 – The Foundation for AI Buyers.Why AI needs standardized pricing and value data before it can make buying decisions.

04:00 – Pricing Models AI Can Actually Understand. Why pricing is more than a price list—and how AI could calculate costs across vendors automatically.

05:30 – Will AI Ignore Your Company?. The risk of missing or unstructured pricing data—and why AI may simply make assumptions about your business.

07:15 – Can Complex Pricing Be Standardized. Mark challenges whether today's complicated pricing models can really be captured in a common framework.

09:00 – The Biggest Challenge: Understanding Value. Can AI truly understand value without understanding the root causes behind business results?

12:00 – Why Value Models Matter. Steven explains why value models aren't about intelligence—they're about giving AI the information it needs to reason.

15:00 – The Next Frontier: Product Configuration. Why pricing and value aren't enough—and how AI could eventually recommend the ideal product setup for every buyer.

18:00 – Can AI Pick the Best Solution?The debate over whether AI can evaluate context, causation, and business needs—not just numbers.

21:00 – When Buyers Have the Upper Hand. How AI could help buyers calculate value using their own private data without sharing it with vendors.

24:00 – The Future of Pricing Transparency. What happens when competitors—and AI—can instantly analyze your pricing structure?

26:00 – Getting Ready for an AI-Powered Buying World. Why businesses should start preparing now for a future where AI becomes the buyer.

Key Takeaways:

"If you don't want the AI to hallucinate about your company, you should give it the data it needs to do its job." — Steven Forth

"The AI needs to understand the value before it can understand if the price is reasonable or not." — Steven Forth

"The value project is just plumbing. Let's be able to connect the pipes." — Steven Forth

People & Resources Mentioned:

• The Value Project. An open-source initiative designed to create standardized, machine-readable formats for value models and pricing models that can be shared across business systems and understood by AI.
• Value Intelligence (ValueIQ). Steven's company focused on value management, value modeling, and helping organizations quantify and communicate customer value.
• GitHub. The repository where technical contributors can access, test, and improve The Value Project's open-source schemas.
• Linux Foundation. Mentioned as a potential future home for the project if adoption and community participation continue to grow.
• JSON (JavaScript Object Notation). The structured data format used to represent value and pricing models in a way that software systems and AI can interpret.

Connect with Steven Forth:

• Website: https://thevalueproject.org
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/
• Email: [email protected]
• Subscribe to Steven's Substack: Synthetic data in pricing: https://pricinginnovation.substack.com/p/synthetic-data-in-pricing

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: [email protected]