AI-First UX: Planning for the Evolution of GenAI-Enabled Customer Journeys

Participants

Hosted by Isaac Sacolick, CEO of StarCIO

Special Guests

• Roman Dumiak

Digital Trailblazers

• Joanne Friedman
• Liz Martinez
• Joseph Puglisi
• Martin Davis
• John Patrick Luethe
• Heather May
• Derrick Butts

Summary

The episode focused on AI-first user experiences and the challenges organizations face in transitioning to agentic AI and generative AI in customer-facing applications. Isaac led a discussion with Roman, Joanne, John, Derrick, and others about the skills and disciplines needed to develop effective AI experiences, including the importance of process engineering, cross-functional teams, and governance frameworks. The group explored how companies can test and validate AI systems, the role of architects in AI development, and the need for continuous monitoring and updating of AI models. They also discussed the potential for AI to transform customer experiences in B2C contexts, with Joanne predicting significant advancements by the end of 2026. The conversation concluded with a brief discussion about entrepreneurship and the role of AI in startup creation.

StarCIO Research Sources:

• B2C Travel: LLM search experience by Marriott Homes & Villas. Publicis Sapient. Try it.
• State of Consumer AI 2025: Product Hits, Misses, and What’s Next. A16z.
• Try Perplexity Shop like a Pro or Amazon Rufus.
• B2B software: Role-based agents in enterprise software: StarCIO Drive

Transcript

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Greetings, everyone. Welcome to this week’s Coffee with Digital Trailblazers, our 158th episode of speaking to digital transformation leaders around leadership, technology, AI practices, mindset, everything that goes into how we evolve our organizations. And today’s special topic. I’ve wanted to cover this for quite some...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Coffee With Digital Trailblazers: AI First
• (00:02:28) - The future of AI in customer experiences
• (00:06:50) - Digital Marketing and IT: The New Disciplines
• (00:07:35) - What's the Need for UX Designers in the Future?
• (00:10:11) - What's The Gap Between AI First User Experiences and Real-
• (00:15:17) - What Do Organizations Need to Do to Think About AI First?
• (00:17:37) - Alexa & Brand Governance
• (00:19:24) - The Design of Human Computers
• (00:20:34) - AI Managers: The Need for Experts
• (00:21:28) - What's The Wait for an AI First User Experience?
• (00:24:27) - Agents and the enterprise software landscape
• (00:25:18) - What Do We Need to Train for AI & UX?
• (00:31:19) - Coffee Hours: Skill Development and AI
• (00:33:47) - What other areas of skill development are important for students, for recent
• (00:36:25) - How to Build a Culture around AI
• (00:38:15) - Alexa, Google, and the Librarian
• (00:40:07) - Six Skills for AI & Safe Innovation
• (00:41:54) - The Need for Specialists in AI Architecture
• (00:44:33) - The Need for Change Management
• (00:45:12) - The Need for Cross Functional Teams in AI
• (00:46:56) - CXO meets AI: The New Experience
• (00:49:19) - The AI Agent Moment
• (00:50:53) - B2C Innovation and Governance
• (00:52:27) - Governance of AI and the Future
• (00:54:37) - When Will We See the Alexa Siri Moment?
• (00:55:56) - AI Web Standards
• (01:00:29) - Coffee with Digital Trailblazers