With the rapid evolution of Generative AI, customer experience (CX) is evolving rapidly, too. In the recent episode of the Tech Transformed podcast, Mike Gozzo, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Ada, sat down with host Christina Stathopoulos, Founder of Dare to Data. They talked about how generative AI is changing business-to-customer interactions.

“I view it not just as a business opportunity, but we are here to solve a problem that has existed as long as commerce has,” Gozzo said. He emphasised that AI's goal isn’t just efficiency. It is about building trust and clearly understanding customer needs to allow productive interactions.

Artificial intelligence, he noted, “has really enabled what used to be much more costly to happen at scale.” The Ada Chief Product and Technology Officer pointed out that the best customer experiences are highly personalised. Comparing it to arriving at a luxury hotel where the staff already knows your name, even on your first visit. He noted that modern AI aims to make such experiences, which were once only for a select few, common for everyone.

Looking to the future, Gozzo tells Stathopoulos he believes generative AI will foster more engagement between customers and brands. “If I consider the trend, I think we will have much more natural, personalised, and effortless interactions than ever before because of this technology.”

Gen AI’s impact on Customer Data

When discussing operational challenges, especially regarding customer data management, the guest speaker stressed quality over quantity. Gozzo explained that in most AI set-ups, “the real value lies not in the data you’ve collected, but in the understanding of how your business runs, operates, and the people doing the tasks you want to automate.”

Governance, Human Orchestration & the Future of AI

Beyond personalisation, AI should be implemented responsibly and monitored closely. “The first thing with any AI deployment is to avoid thinking of it as software you buy, deploy, and forget. They need ongoing monitoring, engagement, and maintenance,” Gozzo tells Stathopoulos.

He suggested thorough testing processes and collaboration with specialised companies like AIUC, which verify AI systems against common risks. “These tests need to happen quarterly or yearly because the underlying models change so rapidly,” he added.

In addition to regularly conducting AI checks, the human element is also critical. AI might automate up to 80% of routine tasks, but humans will still play a vital role. Gozzo described the human role as that of an orchestrator, managing teams that include both humans and AI systems and effectively delegating tasks between them.

Finally, Gozzo talked about AI's immediate impact on customer experience. “Our leading customers’ AI agents are outperforming humans. They deliver higher-quality customer service experiences, and customers prefer interacting with their AI.” The key measure, he said, is the positive effect on business growth and customer lifetime value.

The chief technology officer’s parting advice to IT decision makers is: “The people on your team know how to make AI work. Capture their insights. Don’t treat this as a technology project. The technologist will not dominate the next decade. This is about business leaders and experts doing the heavy lifting.”

At the core of generative and agentic AI, Gozzo reminded listeners, are humans—the operational leaders and domain experts who embed knowledge into AI systems and drive real change.

Takeaways

  • AI can transform customer experience from reactive to proactive.
  • Quality data is more important than large data sets.
  • Human insight is crucial for effective AI implementation.
  • Governance and continuous monitoring are essential for AI systems.
  • Collaboration between humans and AI is the future of work.
  • The role of human agents will shift from execution to management and delegation.
  • The most mature companies are moving beyond metrics like CSAT to measure AI’s impact of outcomes like customer lifetime value and retention.
  • Testing and validation processes are key to successful AI deployment.
  • AI can and is delivering better-than-human customer service.
  • The success of AI initiatives relies on operational leaders' insights.

Chapters

  • 00:00 Transforming Customer Experience with AI
  • 02:51 The Role of Data in AI Solutions
  • 05:48 Governance and Security in AI Deployment
  • 09:03 Human-AI Collaboration in Customer Service
  • 12:01 The Future of AI in Customer Experience

About Ada

Ada is the trusted AI-native customer service company, built to transform how enterprises engage with customers. Powered by the Ada ACX operating model—which unifies technology, methodology, and expertise—Ada deploys high-performing AI agents that deliver personalized, efficient interactions across every channel and language.

Since 2016, Ada has powered over 5.5 billion interactions for leading brands like Square, Peloton, Canva, and monday.com, delivering extraordinary experiences at scale through higher-quality, more efficient customer service.

With enterprise-grade trust, security, and compliance (SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, AIUC-1), Ada enables organizations to reduce cost-to-serve, elevate CSAT, and confidently scale AI-powered customer experience. Learn more at ada.cx.