AI challenges marketing leaders and reshapes CX trends, but amplifies the essence of the human, believes NAVA’s CMO

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a trend; it’s the new operating condition in Customer Experience (CX). In a scenario where AI already enhances service for 73% of consumers and solidifies itself among digital transformation priorities, the CMO faces a crucial dilemma: how to optimize customer experience with AI’s power without dehumanizing the brand?

For Thais Trapp, CMO of Nava, ‘the real revolution isn’t 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 an enchanting CX still lies in the CMO’s strategic vision and empathy,’ she evaluates.

AI innovations are undoubtedly paving the way for more efficient and personalized customer service. Thais highlights three fronts that deserve CMOs’ strategic attention:

1. Generative AI to achieve scale and brand voice personalization.The tool revolutionizes 24/7 service with automated and personalized responses via chatbots and virtual assistants. Its power goes beyond: it supports training human agents by creating realistic scenarios and optimizes the creation of customized content, messages, and scripts. ‘The result is automation that enables offering specific proposals based on historical data, with 84% approval from Brazilians for its practicality, according to the research “Data on Consumption and Loyalty in Brazil,” conducted by Neogrid in partnership with Opinion Box. The challenge, however, is ensuring this scale doesn’t dilute brand authenticity and voice, and that personalization doesn’t become invasive,’ notes the executive.
2. Autonomous agents applied to contextual decision-making.The evolution toward autonomous agents with contextual memory is a leap. These agents understand interaction history and context, enabling more assertive decisions without human intervention. Autonomy reduces response time and increases efficiency. ‘But here lies a critical risk: who to attribute responsibility to for autonomous decisions that may cause dissatisfaction or, worse, violate ethical or privacy principles? Machine autonomy demands even more strategic human supervision,’ evaluates NAVA’s CMO.
3. Multimodal models to understand beyond words. Integrating speech, text, and images, these advanced models accurately understand more complex customer demands. A system can, for example, interpret a text message accompanied by a photo or a voice command, offering richer and more fluid responses. ‘The dilemma is how to ensure AI interprets cultural and emotional nuances across different formats without reproducing biases or generating inadequate responses in sensitive situations,’ she reflects.

In this context, where data volume and automation speed have become essential competitive assets, the CMO’s greatest asset has become sensitivity in relationships. Over-reliance on AI, in pursuit of the easiest path, can lead to traps like lack of empathy, customer resistance, and algorithmic biases. This is because AI can fail in complex situations requiring emotional intelligence and ethical judgment, and a significant portion of consumers still oppose purely robotic interactions, especially during moments of frustration or when solving delicate problems.

“AI should support human intelligence, freeing marketing teams from repetitive tasks so they can focus on what truly matters: empathy, active listening, solving complex problems, and building lasting relationships. This means leading with purpose, ensuring projects reflect business needs and maintain an unshakable focus on customer experience quality; guaranteeing responsibility and efficiency with exemplary data governance, alongside 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 deep human understanding. Technology enhances the experience, but the brand’s soul and genuine connection are built by the CMO’s strategy and sensitivity,’ she advocates.

For her, in an increasingly dynamic and competitive environment, the differentiator won’t be having the most advanced AI but the ability to interpret it and transform information into value—and, above all, to keep evolving constantly, with or without algorithms. ‘It’s the fusion of the human mind with machine capability that will define market leaders and brands that truly enchant,’ she concludes.