9 APR 2024 · The heart and soul of any successful business is the overall customer experience. Many believe that for this to be successful you must be able to interact with an actual person, But what if AI has become the new employee? How could this affect our jobs? To give us better insight on AI customer service, co-host Ruth Zive spoke with Nir Galpaz, Group Vice President of Technical Services and Support at 8x8. The two shed light on how AI augments human skills, improves the customer experience, and impacts the ever-evolving job landscape. It's all about bridging the gap between business and customers, as well as solutions for technological hiccups along the way. Join us as we discuss: - The top mistakes companies make when putting bots in front of people - The tension between cutting costs and putting customers first - The kinds of employees who will win and lose as AI comes into its own

26 MAR 2024 · No matter what industry you work in, data is all around you. Understanding and harnessing that data is essential to unlocking your organization’s full potential. This week, https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjeeta-bhattacharya-91177b5/, Senior Data Scientist at https://www.bnymellon.com/us/en.html’s AI Hub, joins Joe to discuss data science, its many applications, and the most important skills for success in the field. Ranjeeta’s current focus is on data science’s role in the financial sector, and she brings plenty of sharp insights into the importance of diverse backgrounds and skill sets for data scientists — as well as the challenges of applying innovations within the field (like AI) to all manner of industries. Join us as we discuss: - The role of communication, metrics, and analytics in getting the most out of your data - Addressing skeptics who aren’t sold on AI - How AI can help with issues ranging from customer attrition and fraud protection

12 MAR 2024 · Let’s be honest, not every customer experience is created equal. But what separates a brand that lasts the test of time from a brand that only creates superficial connections? With studies showing that consumers are concerned about how businesses are using AI to engage with them, it’s time to think critically about what makes a customer experience feel “legendary.”  Justin Gonzalez, most recently Director of Customer Empowerment at Square, says that these experiences only come about when AI and automation are used in service of caring about customer needs — and creating memorable experiences in every interaction.  Join us as we discuss: - What it means to create a “legendary” customer experiences - The trouble with bad bots — and how they increase customer reluctance toward AI - Innovation in the ongoing shift toward digital support channels

27 FEB 2024 · Generation AI is back for a stellar second season! Season 1 featured interviews with leaders from Virgin Media, Alvaria, IBM, TechCrunch, ZoomInfo, and many more — and we're leveling up for Season 2. To kick off this new slate of episodes, your co-hosts Ruth Zive (CMO, LivePerson) and Joe Bradley (Chief Scientist, LivePerson) break down the emerging “AI Gap” between businesses and their customers when it comes to using artificial intelligence to engage with one another. Also new to Season 2: our “Hype It or Hate It?” segment, which puts 60 seconds on the clock for a rant about what’s going great or what’s failing in AI, CX, or the business world right now. Join us as Ruth and Joe discuss: - The hard truths in the recently released State of Customer Conversations report – and what brands need to know to live up to consumer expectations - Why customers are skeptical – and which customer demographics feel most positive and negative toward AI and automation - Strategies for closing “the AI Gap” between businesses and their customers

13 FEB 2024 · Great news: Generation AI is coming back for Season 2! While we prepare for our next season, please enjoy this illuminating bonus episode, in which Joe interviews Ori Freiman from McMaster University's Digital Society Lab and the Centre for International Governance Innovation's Digital Policy Hub. There is no lack of societal concern around the advent of AI in our everyday lives. Its influence on the cultural fabric of our world is becoming more and more advanced each day. AI can cause conflict, but it can also be used to help solve disputes and build consensus. So how do we parse out how to use AI — and who makes the rules over how it is governed and regulated? https://www.linkedin.com/in/ori-freiman/?originalSubdomain=ca joins the podcast to discuss the impact of AI-generated content on culture, the challenges in regulating tech giants, and the ethical considerations of AI's influence on education. Plus, we'll get into some more futuristic topics like how AI takes on an element of humanity — because it can actually build its own culture. With Joe and Ori, take a dive into: - The interplay between AI and culture, examining the potential of AI-generated content and its influence on cultural narratives - Insights into the regulatory challenges faced by policymakers, including concerns about multinational corporations' sway over regulation - The ethical dimensions of AI in education: positive and negative influences and the varying adoption trends among different age groups

12 DEC 2023 · To close-out a truly remarkable year in AI, and looking ahead to next year, our hosts, https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthzive/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/jallenbradley/ reflect on the year’s most pressing questions and exciting breakthroughs in the space. They highlight how customers, employees, and brands have benefited, as well as their predictions around the ongoing impact on businesses going forward. Join us as Ruth and Joe discuss: - The profound impact of AI on customer service, from augmenting human activities to the economic considerations surrounding big language models vs. smaller, data-trained models for decision-making - The evolution of ethics in AI development — and the persistent challenges in creating and working within guardrails - The potential emergence of diverse AI systems for various applications — and the role of open source in shaping the industry's future

28 NOV 2023 · AI is becoming rapidly accessible in so many industries and shaping the way they do business. But how is AI reshaping the manufacturing workforce? Dr. https://www.linkedin.com/in/roey-mechrez/, Head of AI, EMEA GM at https://tulip.co/, joins Ruth and Joe to discuss how a 9-year-old company, founded by graduates of the MIT Media Lab, is using a no-code platform to revolutionize shop flow operations and empower frontline workers with AI capabilities. Join us as they get into: - Addressing manufacturing challenges through a no-code platform and the democratization of AI - AI's impact on jobs, and how the trajectory is more augmentation over replacement - The practical applications of AI in sales, focusing on specific use cases and the importance of problem-solving automation.

15 NOV 2023 · Is AI regulation stifling innovation, or is it the key to a responsible tech future? How are established incumbents and newer players like OpenAI and Anthropic shaping the AI landscape? We get some insights to these questions and more industry insights, with special guest https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronsmiller/, Enterprise Reporter at https://techcrunch.com/. Ruth, Joe and Ron discuss:: - The evolving AI market as a consumable service for enterprises - The integration of generative AI into software platforms and its impact on enterprise technology. - The challenges and opportunities of AI regulation, intellectual property concerns, biases, and their effects on innovation in the field.

7 NOV 2023 · We have been inundated with suggestions on how AI can help streamline specific tasks at work, maximizing efficiency where we need it most. But there are also wider undefined spaces, like those in Customer Experiences, where AI is ready to be leveraged for greater personalization. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-cotten/, Chief Executive Officer at https://www.alvaria.com/, and Darrell Kelly, the company's Chief Strategy Officer, share their extensive expertise and unique perspectives on leveraging emerging technology to improve both human and organizational performance. They offer a look into the unexpected possibilities of AI-generated content, and how AI and humans collaborating together can create more personalized, more engaging experiences for both employees and customers. Discussed in this episode: - The synergy between human creativity and AI, and how the two can work in tandem on personalized content and experiences - How to responsibly integrate new tech in the workplace while addressing organizational challenges - Where AI in contact centers can lead to better customer service experiences.

24 OCT 2023 · Personalization and efficiency are often pitted against one another. But with the massive efficiency benefits offered by automation, businesses can capitalize on non-traditional personalization initiatives without sacrificing time or productivity. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-huggins-516b364b/, Head Of Conversational Commerce at https://www.virginmedia.com/ joined the show to dive into how you can leverage data and automation to connect with your customers on a deeper level, align with company objectives, and create resilience in the face of failures to build a successful digital-first strategy. Join us as we discuss: - Leveraging behavioral signals for enhanced UX, including improving AI chatbots - How to create an AI system that increases human productivity and gets customers what they need - Prioritizing customer experience and operational excellence as a pillar of marketing