This might get me kicked out of the Luddite Club.

What I discovered when researching AI and its place in Customer Experience.

I was armed and fully prepared to not like what I was going to uncover. After several days of research, engaging with technophiles and going down as many diverse AI rabbit holes as my attention span could stand, I'm surprised to report that my fear of AI might just be waning.

Here's what I heard over and over, translated into non-techy lingo: AI agent investment is a top priority almost everywhere I looked — no surprise there. Self-service isn't just expected anymore, it's a competitive edge when it's done well. And the most encouraging refrain, over and over: human support still matters. A lot.

AI can absorb an almost unlimited volume of simple issues at a fraction of the cost — instant answers, 24/7, resulting in no wait times. It can analyze vast amounts of customer data to predict needs and personalize the experience. None of that is controversial anymore. Customers expect it, and it works.

Here's what I'm not hearing enough of in this conversation: what happens to the humans while all this rolls out. I'm watching organizations move fast on the AI side and slow — sometimes not at all — on preparing the people who now have to work alongside it. That's backwards. The tool changes overnight, but the team doesn't, unless someone builds the capability for that.

Human judgement, risk management, and empathy are still things AI can't do. Conversations with customers are nuanced, and nuance is exactly what gets missed by LLMs. AI is handing organizations a real opportunity — to move their support teams into more consultative, proactive work instead of ticket-clearing. But that shift doesn't happen on its own. It has to be built, deliberately, with training that actually prepares people for the harder conversations AI is now clearing space for.

That's the gap I keep seeing in my research and conversations. Budget and attention go to the AI rollout, because that's the visible, board-reportable initiative. Training the humans who work alongside it is the unglamorous line item — easy to defer, until it becomes a retention or service-quality problem nobody planned for.

The reps who come through this well are going to need real problem-solving skill, strategic thinking, and the ability to build relationships — not just handle volume. Those don't show up because AI freed up their time. They show up because someone invested in building them.

Do this intentionally, or don't bother. A half-built hybrid model — AI everywhere, no real investment in the people beside it — is worse than either extreme.

What's your team actually being given to handle this shift — or is it mostly being left to figure out on the fly?

DM's are open - I welcome the connection.