AI in customer experience: the superintelligent shift.

The core issue is that we are talking about two very different things under the same ‘AI’ umbrella. On one hand, we have practical, narrow AI —the tools that find patterns in data, summarize vast amounts of text, or streamline a specific task. The recent case study of EasyPark Group, which used a Google Cloud solution to make sense of disparate data, is a perfect example of this.

On the other hand, we have the moonshot ambition for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Artificial superintelligence (ASI) —a technology that would be as, or more, intelligent than humans. The aim of companies like Meta is to develop technology that achieves general human-level intelligence (AGI) or surpasses it. The headlines often confuse the two, but for business leaders, the distinction is critical.

Here is a recent example of this from the EasyPark Group. The company is based in Stockholm, but now has operations in over 25 countries and 4,000 cities. EasyPark helps drivers find and pay for parking all over the world.

The company expanded rapidly and often entire country units were blended into the service through acquisition. This led to information about the group being in many different formats, in many different databases, and with nothing connected.

They used a Google Cloud solution to just drop all the data from every part of the business into a large language model (LLM). Now any EasyPark manager can query the system and a response will be created by AI, using all that training information.

This is a great case study of a company being overwhelmed by information and using AI to find the patterns, to find the insight. This is exactly where AI can be useful today. It drives up productivity and helps us to make sense of vast amounts of information.

There will have been no precedent in human history. In fact, if we develop a technology that is more intelligent than humans then it may be the last ever human-made invention, because further developments will be led by the AGI.

We have seen technology changing society in the past. The introduction of the PC - in particular the PC with business tools like spreadsheets. The introduction of email and mobile phones in the 90s. The move to smartphones and social media. All these technologies changed how people worked, lived, and communicated, but the ambition for superintelligence goes further.

Because all these earlier technologies were just tools used by humans, but how will humans transition to a world in which their labor is almost worthless because the tech is already smarter than the people?

This is the challenge. We will be decoupling the idea of income from labor, therefore the economic necessity of most professional work collapses. The economy as we know it would change dramatically as labor costs are almost eliminated in many industries. Taxation in most countries is mainly based on income, so this would need to completely switch to a tax on capital, consumption, or a tax on the use of AGI - taxing the virtual workers. There may even be a ‘Brave New World’ where most people engage with the AGI, but there is the creation of an underclass that cannot afford to engage with the technology.

The rush to superintelligence is about much more than our current use of AI and should not just be presented as a “better” form of the AI we know today. Achieving AGI or Artificial superintelligence will not just lead to greater productivity, it will change our entire society - how we work and spend our time. However, the real outcome will depend less on the AI technology itself, and more on the governance, values, and foresight of those building and deploying it.

While the pursuit of AGI captures the imagination, the real-world impact of AI in Customer Experience (CX) today lies in its specialized, narrow applications. Focusing on the practical over the theoretical is key to developing a successful strategy. The most advanced AI isn't always the most useful because its most valuable applications aren't necessarily about "human-level" intelligence, but about speed, scale, and insight.

For CX professionals, the power of AI is found in: 

Speed: real-time human enhancement.

AI tools can dramatically accelerate customer interactions, reducing friction and improving first-call resolution. They empower your human agents to be faster and more effective by handling the technical and repetitive parts of the job.

• Agent assist: This is the ultimate "co-pilot" for customer service. These AI solutions provide agents with real-time assistance, surfacing relevant customer data, call history, and knowledge articles instantly. This is like giving your team a superpower—they can access the right information and even translate conversations in real-time, helping customers in their native language and significantly shortening a support call.
• Real-time Translation: Tools like these instantly break down language barriers. Whether it's a voice or text conversation, AI can translate in real-time, allowing your agents to assist customers from anywhere in the world without a language being a hurdle.
• Voice and video bots: For quick, common inquiries, AI-powered voice and video bots provide real-time FAQ responses and intelligent call routing. These tools handle the simple requests, ensuring customers with more complex issues are connected to the right human agent faster.
• Noise cancellation: AI can operate instantly to eliminate distracting background noise, ensuring smooth and clear communication. This seemingly small detail has a massive impact on the quality and efficiency of a conversation.

Scale: effortless expansion.

AI allows you to grow your CX operations without a proportional increase in costs. It provides a flexible and scalable foundation to manage high volumes and global demands.

• AI chatbots: These platforms are built to handle high customer interaction volumes—whether it's 100 or 10,000 daily interactions. They provide 24/7 availability across multiple channels, from a website to WhatsApp, and can handle inquiries in over 100 languages.
• AI voice bots: Scalable voice bots are designed for businesses experiencing high call volumes or seasonal peaks. They can handle a large number of conversations automatically, freeing up your human agents for more complex issues.