AI dominated the conversation in 2025 – and for good reason. From deepfake images to near-instant research, its capabilities captured global attention. But its impact has, arguably, impacted the customer experience industry more than any other…
Calabrio’s State of the Contact Centre research found that 98% of contact centres were leveraging AI in 2025, signalling a clear shift from experimentation to tangible value creation over the last twelve months.
So, what is next for AI in customer experience? We spoke with four industry experts to find out.
Enhance customer experience
One of AI’s biggest advantages is its ability to enhance the customer experience while enabling always-on support. Des Anderson, CTO of LearnUpon, explains that AI delivers “instant, personalised guidance, feedback, and recommendations, supporting customers in realising product value at a scale that was previously impossible.”
This personalised approach will be especially important for the year ahead, as customer expectations continue to rise. Mark Wilson, Technology & Innovation Director at Node4, recognises that “customers want their needs understood, their problems solved before they appear and a smooth, personalised journey using their preferred channels.”
“This is where AI-augmented, integrated CRM and CCaaS platforms become transformative,” he continues. “These systems provide agents with instant access to the full context behind every interaction, enabling organisations to anticipate needs with confidence. Without that integrated foundation, the customer experience collapses, forcing customers to repeat themselves, wait for resolutions and navigate disconnected channels. But with it, continuity can be delivered across channels, making every interaction effortless and showing customers competence and care.”
Responsible regulation
However, it is important that organisations don’t rush to implement AI without giving thought to its regulation and governance. AI is a powerful tool which has generated a lot of uncertainty and fear for many individuals. As such, in 2026, customers will be looking for and prioritising those who use AI responsibly.
Russell Attwood, CEO and Co-Founder at Route 101, explains this trend further. “We’re likely to see a shift in focus from just deploying AI, to ensuring effective and responsible governance alongside AI use,” he says. “Trust and transparency are emerging as the new currency in customer experience – as AI becomes more embedded, customers want to see clarity on how decisions are being made, how their data is used and how businesses are held to account. This makes data governance, privacy compliance, and ethical AI deployment not just regulatory requirements, but key brand differentiators.”
He adds: “In this environment, organisations are increasingly recognising that building AI in-house without specialist support can expose them to compliance and reputational risks. The smartest organisations are therefore responding by establishing internal governance frameworks and partnering with trusted advisors who can help them navigate the complexity of AI integration. That means defining clear accountability for decision-making, ensuring transparent data use, and embedding ethical review into every stage of AI deployment.”
Magnus Geverts, VP Product Marketing at Calabrio, agrees, adding that “the biggest shift won’t just be more AI in the contact centre, it will be how well you understand and govern it. I see a world where every interaction, whether handled by a human, chatbot or voice bot, is measured through the same lens of quality, fairness, emotion and business impact.”
In order to effectively govern AI, Geverts advocates that full visibility is essential: “Conversation Intelligence extends beyond people to include AI Agents in one unified quality framework, giving leaders full visibility into the customer journey, while continuously refining bot and human performance to the same high standard.”
“The result: contact centres evolve from support centres into true revenue engines, identifying upsell and cross-sell moments, reducing churn, and increasing lifetime value. In 2026, the winners won’t be those who automate the most, but those who understand every conversation – and act on it.”
Remain human-first
While much of the conversation in 2026 will focus on how to further integrate AI into operations, organisations must be careful not to lose the value of human interaction. In fact, Route 101’s Attwood expects “to see a renewed emphasis on the human element in business. The prediction that AI would replace the contact centre agent hasn’t come to pass, and it won’t in 2026 either. Instead, we’ll see the most successful organisations learn to effectively use AI to augment their people, not replace them. If done right, AI can inform decision-making, automate routine tasks and help personalise customer journeys, taking some of the burden off agents. This enables them to focus on cases needing empathy and complex problem-solving skills – something AI cannot easily offer.”
He concludes: “The winners in 2026 will be those who view AI not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a catalyst for trust, sustainability, and human connection.”