Editorial
Research Report
Power Personalized CX with AI That Remembers What Customers Don’t Want to Repeat
The Gist
- The first letter in AI stands for "artificial." While AI can create efficiencies and reduce friction, it cannot replace the human touch.
- Person-to-person connection matters: Some brands can lean more heavily on automation than others, but every brand should give customers the option to talk to a real person.
- Using advanced technologies to meet consumer expectations: Today's consumers expect transparency and personalization from all brands. AI and automation can help.
If I had to sum up 2025 in one word, it would be, "fearlessness." When it comes to artificial intelligence, 2025 was a year of widespread adoption, experimentation and disruption.
In 2026, the word is "discernment." In the year ahead, customer experience leaders must find the right balance between automation and authentic, human-centered interactions. This balance will look different for every brand, but across the board, meeting consumer expectations will require a combination of technology (to deliver speed and convenience) and empathy (to earn and maintain customer trust).
Table of Contents
- Understanding What AI Is — and Isn't — for Customer Experience
- Finding the Sweet Spot Between Technology and Human Engagement
- Using AI to Provide Transparency and Personalization
Understanding What AI Is — and Isn't — for Customer Experience
There's no doubt about it: AI can be a powerful partner for customer experience professionals when it comes to reducing friction and making selling recommendations. But it's exactly that — a partner — and, as such, it should operate with guardrails. Automation can and, in many cases, should handle the simple. Humans, however, must own the complex, especially when emotions and trust are on the line.
Brands must recognize that, while AI can serve as a superpower collaborator, the first letter in AI stands for "artificial." When life gets hard and customers need support, they value another "A": "authenticity." Brands that show up with clarity, genuine kindness and compassion during these critical moments will earn customer loyalty that no algorithm can replicate.
Related Article: Human First: How Aflac Combines AI With Authentic Connections
Finding the Sweet Spot Between Technology and Human Engagement
The right mix of automation and human interaction is different for every brand. For example, at an insurance company like my organization, many calls come from customers facing life-changing illnesses or accidents. In those moments, AI can take over routine tasks, simplifying processes behind the scenes, helping customer experience professionals operate more strategically, and, most importantly, allowing them to focus on what matters most: human connection.
Regardless of the type of customer interaction a brand has, leaning more heavily on automation is often appropriate. I am hard-pressed to think of a brand that shouldn't offer a clear route to a real person when needed. As most of us have experienced firsthand, when a customer is frustrated from trying to resolve an issue or is just having a bad day, talking to another human being, someone who exhibits emotional intelligence and conveys a sense of calm, can be a lifeline.
Farley on Human-First AI: Key Interview Takeaways
In a late 2024 interview on CMSWire TV show, Human First: How Aflac Combines AI With Authentic Connections, Farley outlined how Aflac balances automation with authentic human engagement in customer experience.
| Theme | Farley’s Perspective | Implication for CX Leaders |
|---|---|---|
| AI as a partner, not a replacement | AI should reduce friction and handle routine tasks, but it operates best with clear guardrails and human oversight. | Design automation for efficiency — but build escalation paths and accountability into every workflow. |
| Human ownership of complex moments | When emotions, illness, or financial stress are involved, customers need empathy and authentic connection. | Define “emotionally sensitive” journeys and ensure live agents are empowered and accessible. |
| Clear path to a real person | Even brands that automate heavily should always provide a straightforward route to human support. | Audit digital journeys to remove dead ends and friction in escalation processes. |
| Transparency through technology | Consumers expect visibility similar to tracking a pizza or delivery — regardless of industry. | Use AI to proactively update customers on status, progress and next steps. |
| Discernment in 2026 | The future isn’t about using the most technology — it’s about using it to strengthen trust. | Measure success not just by efficiency metrics, but by trust, clarity and long-term loyalty. |
Using AI to Provide Transparency and Personalization
Consumers have become accustomed to ordering dinner with a mobile app, booking flights with three clicks and buying everything online, from cars to groceries. Today's consumers expect that same level of seamless and personalized customer experience from all brands, regardless of industry. If the making and delivery of a pizza can be tracked, measured and improved, other brands — even those that don't sell tangible products, should offer similar visibility.
AI and automation can be used to provide insights and transparency to customers, giving them added peace of mind that their issue is being resolved, their payment is on the way, or their insurance claim is being processed.
What matters is how we use it: use automation to keep customers informed without making them chase updates; use data to personalize without being invasive; and use AI to remove busywork so our people have more time for the conversations that build trust.
In 2026, empathy won't be a differentiator; it will be table stakes. It is up to customer experience leaders to determine which customer interactions can be enhanced with AI and other emerging technologies, and which situations require human-to-human connection. Identifying the right mix of both is crucial. Brands that get this right won't be the ones using the most technology, but the ones using it to strengthen trust. That's the standard our customers deserve – and the one we intend to meet.
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