KUALA LUMPUR: As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape customer engagement strategies across Malaysia and the region, futurist and author Anders Sorman-Nilsson has urged businesses to rethink how they build connections with customers in an increasingly digital-first world.
Speaking at the Zoom CX Summit APAC 2025, Sorman-Nilsson said, “Businesses must start preparing for a new, more human-centric, technology-enabled future of customer experience.
“In today’s digital-first world, to truly win the minds and hearts of customers, we have to do things well. This means looking at things from both a high-touch and a high-tech perspective, blending human intelligence with artificial intelligence,” he added.
Hosted by Zoom, the summit brought together CX leaders and technology experts from across the region to explore how businesses can stay ahead in the ‘experience revolution,’ a term used by Zoom’s head of CX sales (Asia-Pacific and Japan) Lukas Carruthers, to describe the growing demand for more intelligent, empathetic, and seamless customer interactions powered by AI.
Carruthers said that while AI can streamline customer journeys and offer real-time insights, the technology must not come at the expense of trust and human connection.
“The most successful brands leverage AI systems as an enabler of human connection,” he said.
“AI handles routine tasks, predicts issues before they escalate, and enables real-time insights, while humans focus on what they do best — building relationships with empathy, creative solutions, and genuine care,” he said.
A key theme of the summit was the need to strike a balance between AI innovation and human empathy.
Carruthers acknowledged that businesses face ongoing challenges, including fragmented customer journeys, agent burnout, and the need to scale personalisation.
However, he emphasised that overcoming these hurdles opens opportunities to lead in customer experience transformation.
He added that the future of CX in APAC lies in embracing AI-first platforms that place human connection at the core.
“Organisations need to adopt CX solutions that deliver cutting-edge AI-powered experiences while ensuring that empathy, trust, and transparency remain at the forefront of every interaction,” he said.
There is need to strike a balance between AI innovation and human empathy.
