Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a trend; it is the new operating condition in Customer Experience (CX). In a scenario where AI already enhances service for 73% of consumers and consolidates itself among the priorities of digital transformation, the CMO faces a crucial dilemma: how to optimize the customer experience with the power of AI without dehumanizing the brand?
For Thais Trapp, CMO of Nava, “the real revolution is not in automating everything, but in redefining the role of human sensitivity in a hyper-automated environment. AI is a strategic lever, but the art of creating genuine connections and a CX that enchants still resides in the strategic vision and empathy of the CMO,” she evaluates.
Innovations in AI are undoubtedly paving the way for more efficient and personalized customer service. Thais highlights three fronts that deserve strategic attention from CMOs:
- Generative AI to gain scale and personalize the brand voice. The tool revolutionizes 24/7 service with automatic and personalized responses via chatbots and virtual assistants. Its power goes beyond: it supports the training of human agents, creating realistic scenarios, and optimizes the creation of customized content, messages, and scripts. “The result is an automation that allows offering specific proposals based on historical data, with 84% approval from Brazilians for its practicality, according to the study “Data on Consumption and Loyalty in Brazil”, conducted by Neogrid in partnership with Opinion Box. The challenge, however, is to ensure that this scale does not dilute the authenticity and voice of the brand, and that personalization does not become intrusive,” points out the executive.
- Autonomous agents applied to contextualized decision-making. The evolution to autonomous agents with contextual memory is a leap. These agents understand the history and context of interactions, allowing for more assertive decisions without human intervention. Autonomy reduces response time and increases efficiency. “But here lies a critical risk: who should be held responsible for autonomous decisions that may lead to dissatisfaction or, worse, violate ethical or privacy principles? Machine autonomy requires even more strategic human supervision,” evaluates NAVA’s CMO.
- Multimodal models to understand beyond words. Integrating speech, text, and images, these advanced models precisely understand the most complex customer demands. A system can, for example, interpret a text message accompanied by a photo or a voice command, offering richer and smoother responses. “The dilemma lies in ensuring that AI interprets cultural and emotional nuances in different formats without reproducing biases or generating inappropriate responses in sensitive situations,” ponders.
In this context, where data volume and automation speed have become essential competitiveness assets, a CMO’s greatest asset has become sensitivity in relationships. Excessive dependence on AI, in pursuit of the easiest path, can lead to pitfalls such as lack of empathy, customer resistance, and the presence of algorithmic biases. This is because AI may fail in complex situations that require emotional intelligence and ethical judgment, as a significant portion of consumers still oppose exclusively robotic interactions, especially in moments of frustration or to resolve delicate issues.
”AI should be a support to human intelligence, freeing marketing teams from repetitive tasks so they can focus on what really matters: empathy, active listening, solving complex problems, and building lasting relationships. This means leading with purpose, ensuring projects reflect business needs and maintain an unwavering focus on the quality of the customer experience; ensuring accountability and efficiency with exemplary data governance, as well as a rigorous bias prevention plan through diverse data and continuous audits,” explains Thaís Trapp. “The future of marketing, whether B2B or B2C, lies in the ability to integrate technological innovations with critical thinking, creativity, and a deep understanding of humanity. Technology enhances the experience, but the brand’s soul and genuine connection are built by the strategy and sensitivity of the CMO,” she argues.
For her, in an increasingly dynamic and competitive environment, the differentiator will not be having the most advanced AI, but rather the ability to interpret it and transform information into value and, above all, to remain in constant evolution, with or without algorithms. “It is the fusion of the human mind with the machine’s capability that will define market leaders and the brands that truly captivate,” she concludes.
