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

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

For Thais Trapp, CMO of Nava, “a true revolution is not in automating everything, but in redefining the role of human sensitivity in a hyperautomated environment. AI is a strategic lever, but the art of creating genuine connections and a CX that enchants still lies in the strategic look and empathy of CMO”, he evaluates.

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

1. Generative AI to gain scale and personalization of 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“O result is an automation that allows to offer specific proposals based on historical data, with 84% of approval of Brazilians for practicality, according to the survey “Dados on Consumption and Loyalty in Brazil”, made 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 invasive”, points out the executive.
2. Autonomous agents applied to contextualized decision. The evolution to autonomous agents with contextual memory is a leap. These agents understand the history and context of interactions, allowing more assertive decisions without human intervention.Autonomy reduces response time and increases efficiency. “But here lies a critical risk: to whom to assign responsibility for autonomous decisions that may generate dissatisfaction or, worse, violate ethical or privacy principles?The autonomy of the machine requires even more strategic human supervision”, evaluates the NAVA CMO.
3. Multimodal models to understand beyond words. Integrating speech, text and images, these advanced models accurately understand the most complex demands of the client. A system can, for example, interpret a text message accompanied by a photo or a voice command, offering richer and more fluid answers. “The dilemma lies in how to ensure that AI interprets cultural and emotional nuances in different formats, without reproducing biases or generating inappropriate responses in sensitive situations”, he explains.

In this context, in which the volume of data and the speed of automation have become essential assets of competitiveness, the greatest asset of a CMO has become sensitivity in relationships. The excessive dependence on AI, in the search for the easiest way, can lead to traps such as lack of empathy, customer resistance, the presence of algorithmic biases.This is because AI can fail in complex situations that require emotional intelligence and ethical judgment, because a significant part of consumers still opposes exclusively robotic interactions, especially in times of frustration or to solve delicate problems.

"AI should be a support to human intelligence, freeing marketing teams from repetitive tasks so that they can focus on what really matters: empathy, active listening, complex problem solving and building lasting relationships. This means leading with purpose, ensuring that projects reflect the business need and maintain an unwavering focus on the quality of the customer experience; ensuring responsibility and efficiency with exemplary data governance, in addition to a rigorous plan for preventing bias through diverse data and continuous audits”, explains Thais Trapp. “The future of marketing, be it B2B or B2C, lies in the ability to integrate technology with a critical soul, innovation and creativity.

For her, in an increasingly dynamic and competitive environment, the differential will not be to have the most advanced AI, but rather the ability to interpret it and transform information into value and, above all, to keep evolving, with or without algorithms.“It is the fusion of the human mind with the ability of the machine that will define market leaders and brands that really delight”, he concludes.