Editorial
The Gist
- AI and human connection. Exploring how AI can enhance, not replace, human empathy and creativity.
- AI’s data problem. Why AI is only as good as the data it’s fed and the challenges of teaching empathy to machines.
- Jumping into AI. The need for brands to embrace AI for innovation and customer experience improvement.
AUSTIN — Personal story time. I know, shocker right?
When I graduated from college, I had two things — a degree and a job.
My job was to be an ecommerce marketing specialist for a global medical device manufacturer and distributor. However, my degree was in marketing and advertising (so, I had half of the bases covered).
The other part of the role, however, required me to immerse myself into the world of ecommerce and digital business, something that at the time, wasn’t really offered as part of the curriculum at the college I attended.
So, like any excited, motivated, hungry, freshly graduated alum, I did what most people would do.
I went to YouTube.
That’s right, I boot strapped the first job out of school by fully jumping into the deep end of digital commerce – watching every video, reading every article – fully embracing this new area that I knew a little about, but had even little experience in.
Oddly enough, my experience out of school shares a similar fate with another new area that many brands and we as society and eager to understand.
You guessed it, AI.
All in on Artificial Intelligence in Austin
This week, I attended the Forrester Technology and Innovation Summit in my hometown of Austin, Texas — and let me say this, it was all AI, all the time.
Essentially every single keynote, breakout and happy hour had some component of artificial intelligence built into it. Which, while redundant, was extremely insightful and opened new paths and ideas that I previously had not been on my radar.
Because of that, I thought it would be prudent to share some big AI themes from this event that will shape the way consumers and brands communicate, forever.
Related Article: How AI Is Revolutionizing the Customer Journey in 2024
Theme 1: AI Is the Gutenberg of the 21st Century
George Colony, Forrester CEO, kicked of the conference discussing the future of AI and what we all are likely to see. During his speech, he compared artificial intelligence to Johann Gutenberg.
If you’re not familiar, Gutenberg was famous for creating the first movable type printing, which allowed the flow and sharing of information, knowledge and literary works to quickly spread through Europe. Because of this innovation, many people were able to have access to information they may have not had previously, ultimately sparking increased literacy and the expansion of information which ultimately shaped the future of the world.
Sound familiar?
You bet. Colony believes that AI will follow suite, and that we are entering a new renaissance where all of the worlds information will be collected and analyzed to better humanize experiences between brands and consumers; which I tend to agree with.
Theme 2: Bye Bye to Browsing the Web as We Know It
We are already seeing new ways to find information through Google’s Gemini; Apple's about-to-be-new release of Apple Intelligence (See what they did there…) However, the adoption of these new technologies will take time, and will be driven by consumer choice.
Colony described another example of where we have seen this previously; he described how employees of companies decades ago would be using their cellular devices to get work done in offices and achieve an higher efficiency rate. So what did the office / business do? They purchased employees blackberrys. He predicts similar approaches will happen with AI.
As we as a society get more and more comfortable searching, conversing and an acquiring information through AI models (i.e., SearchGPT) brands will follow suit and will be forced to adopt new technologies and practice to meet the desires and expectations of their customers.
In theory, the way we shop will also morph. Instead of browsing for a product through a website, consumers will have the ability to leverage elements like digital twins, or conversational commerce to find products that best suits their needs.
Theme 3: AI Will Alter What It Means to Be Human
Before you jump into researching bionic suit styles and trends, let’s take a step back from the ledge of “Holy crap, machines are going to kill us all”
What does it mean to be human? Being human means being able to be empathic, rational, relatable, conscious and creative. Will AI change this for us? No, I don’t think so. Will AI allows us to explore each of these areas more deeply – yes, I do believe it will.
Somewhat of a surprise to most attendees, much of the content during the show emphasized the ability for AI to humanize most experiences vs. the idea that most have had in their head, removing the ability for us as people to connect.
So, is this possible to have empathic experiences within the world of AI? Short answer yes, but not at the moment. Which leads to the next theme.
Webinar
Sep
25
CMS Briefing: A Live Look at What’s Next in AI-Driven Platforms
Learn how leading organizations are using AI‑driven tools to publish faster, personalize smarter and stay secure.
Register
Webinar
On demand
Ready or Not: How Data-First Organizations Are Unlocking Agentforce Potential
Learn how to cut through the noise, activate Agentforce and build a Salesforce AI strategy that actually delivers.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
AI in Customer Service: Faster Resolutions, Happier Customers
Don’t let rising demand burn out your team. See how to build a smarter, more resilient support org.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
From Hype to High-Impact CX Strategies That Actually Scale
Turn buzzworthy AI and outsourcing trends into measurable CX wins with fresh 2025 data.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
Insights to Action Rethinking the Contact Center for Real Business Impact
Join our exclusive webinar to hear CX executives share their innovative strategies for transforming service delivery.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
Accelerating Healthcare Ops with AI
Sign up to see how your peers are putting AI to work — and making it stick.
Watch Now
Theme 4: AI Has a Data Problem
One presenter showed an example where AI was asked to solve a problem around cheese falling off of pizza when someone was eating. Much to the surprise of the person asking, the AI engine recommended adding glue to the pizza.
Huh? What?
Listen I’m all for some pineapple and pepperoni on my pizza, but glue just crosses the line.
The reason AI generated this response was because it found a post on Reddit where a user said to put glue on pizza if the cheese falls off; the user was clearly being humorous and not serious.
But, this is a serious problem. AI is only as good as the data being injected behind the scenes.
The above is a basic example, but it becomes more serious when you turn to sectors like healthcare, where patients are asking AI engines questions that could be life or death. This is where data accuracy and governance are important.
But how can you teach AI empathy? That, my fellow readers, is a question that has yet to be fully sorted through. Sure, AI can learn natural language models and understand some dialect, but it falls short in areas that humans excel in by not fully being able to apply empathy or compassion to certain situations.
At least that’s how it stands today …
Related Article: 6 Considerations for an AI Governance Strategy
Theme 5: Just Do It: Jump Into AI Now
Just like my lead in on this story, brands and humans alike must jump into the deep end of AI and start to incorporate it into our daily lives. The more time we spend leveraging these new tools and weaving it into how we do things each day, the more society will become comfortable with it, and the more the AI models will be able to learn future behaviors needed to help us as a species become more connected and more efficient.
As a brand, you must look for ways that AI can innovate parts of your business. Look everywhere, from customer service to hyper-personalization to inventory forecasting and predictions. It’s a mindset shift, and brands need to find ways to shift their thinking with looking at solutions within the world of AI to solve small and big problems alike.
Why?
Because like it or not, AI is the future. The way we shop, interact and converse with our favorite brands will change. And you’re early to this change. You can rise above your competition but, more importantly, create better customer experiences that resonate.
AI's Promise: Personalizing Experiences in a Brave New World
There are two words that come to mind after the event closed.
Inspired and excited.
I’m inspired by the art of the possible as it pertains to AI. I, like many of you, desire human to human connection. It’s important that we are responsible as a society in how we build and implement these AI tools and models. It's important that in doing so, we find ways to make this massive world a bit smaller. And I’m inspired by the idea that AI could be that conduit to do just that.
I’m also quite excited. Listen, I won’t pretend I have all the AI answers here. In fact, far from it. But just like I was that excited college graduate with a new job in a new area of expertise that maybe I didn’t fully understand, I feel a sense of giddiness, spunk and energy to find ways to apply AI in my life.
AI should be something we embrace, or as in the words of The Terminator, “Come with me if you want to live.” Yes, that’s right. AI should allow us to live a better life once it’s potential is finally realized. When will that be? Hard to say exactly.
But what I can say is this: As its potential starts to become more and more realized, and we see increased levels of applications from brands, you can be sure that “I’ll be back” to update you on ways to leverage AI to personalize your brand in a way that gives your customers all the reasons in the world to fall in love with the experiences you build.
Till then, “I’m just a cybernetic organism, living tissue over a metal endoskeleton.”
Learn how you can join our contributor community.
