Guest Speakers Reveal Where AI Belongs In CX — And How Leaders Protect Trust

2026-04-20 · Source: Featured Blogs - Forrester · Field: Business & Management — Project & Product Management, Operations & Process Management, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning · Depth: Intermediate, short

Summary

The Forrester CX Forum West conference will feature multiple guest speaker sessions addressing the integration of AI into customer experience (CX) strategies. Leaders from companies like Nationwide, Schwab Advisor Services, Ancestry, UKG, and PetSmart will discuss moving from general AI adoption to intentional deployment, focusing on specific use cases and human oversight. Sessions will cover how AI influences design workflows, the evolution of customer self-service, and the importance of leadership in fostering trust in an AI-driven environment. The conference emphasizes that CX leaders are prioritizing deliberate AI application over broad implementation, examining its fit within design, self-service, operating models, and leadership responsibilities, while explicitly defining areas requiring human involvement. Specific sessions include "Ready, Set, Agentic: How Real Companies Deploy AI With Intent" and "What Great Customer Self-Service Looks Like."

Key takeaway

For CX leaders defining or refining your AI strategy, prioritize intentional deployment over mere adoption. Focus on clearly articulating why AI initiatives exist, what success entails, and where human oversight remains critical. This deliberate approach will help you design coherent experiences, build customer trust, and ensure accountability as AI scales within your organization, ultimately connecting AI decisions to tangible CX and business outcomes.

Key insights

Intentional AI deployment, not just adoption, is crucial for trusted customer experiences.

Principles

• Define AI success and human oversight clearly.
• Design foundations must support AI integration.
• Leadership is accountable for AI-driven trust.

Method

Evaluate AI use cases, balance automation with accountability, and connect AI decisions to CX and business outcomes, prioritizing clarity and restraint over blanket solutions.

In practice

• Identify where AI adds specific value.
• Establish shared standards for AI-enabled design.
• Determine when human escalation is necessary.

Topics

• AI in Customer Experience
• AI Strategy & Intent
• Customer Self-Service
• Experience Design Workflows
• Trust in AI

Best for: Product Manager, AI Product Manager, Consultant, Executive

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Featured Blogs - Forrester.