Human-led AI in CX for the APAC region

Human-led artificial intelligence (AI) in customer experience (CX) is the goal for companies that want to stay on the cutting edge. But it is not always easy to achieve, especially when applying ever-advancing AI to CX is still a relatively new concept to most. Recently, the CX Network community gathered for the All Access: AI Revolution in Customer Self-Service and Support APAC, sponsored by Zoom, to explore how AI is reshaping CX. 

Opportunities and challenges of AI adoption

The event opened with a panel discussion featuring Patricia Mulles, founder of M&O Consulting,
and  Director and Global Head of Partnerships for She Loves Data, Yuwana Stiani, vice president and head of customer knowledge and experience for Zurich Indonesia, and Ruvashan Chetty, formerly customer operations manager at Boral, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption.

The panel focused on the ways AI can enhance CX by automating routine tasks and freeing humans to handle complex, emotionally sensitive situations. Stiani shared Zurich Indonesia’s journey, embedding AI across self-service platforms, mobile apps and chatbots to simplify insurance processes while building trust-based relationships.

However, AI’s success at Zurich so far is largely because of thorough AI pilots to ensure compliance, security and smooth integration before customer rollouts; by contrast, Ruvashan cautioned against rushing AI implementations without sufficient testing and high-quality data - clear purpose, strong leadership and proper system integration are absolutely vital for AI to succeed. 

Similarly, Mulles reinforced the importance of keeping humans in the loop, because although AI excels at efficiency, it still lacks empathy. It is ideal for mundane tasks while humans handle nuanced interactions, but in the case of bereavement or complaint, customers really appreciate the empathy that humans can provide. 

So how can you measure AI’s impact, from a CX perspective? Customer outcomes, Net Promoter Score (NPS) scores, retention, loyalty and operational efficiency were all mentioned.  Early results of existing AI deployments seem promising, yet global and local concerns around privacy and transparency remain key considerations.

The importance of human-led AI in CX

In the next session, Zoom’s Lukas Carruthers also highlighted the value of “human-centered AI,” demonstrating how AI can amplify human capability, enhance interactions and transform service delivery without sacrificing the human touch. Tools such as agentic AI, empathy amplification and contextual intelligence, he said, are perfectly suited to support agents in real time, rather than replacing them.

For organizations just starting with AI, Carruthers recommended beginning with agent support, leveraging AI to reduce cognitive load and automating routine interactions before scaling to customer-facing applications, emphasizing the importance of well-defined use cases and organized knowledge management.

Applying an AI-powered chatbot in the banking sector

Simon Clarke, lead of digital strategy and customer experience at Suncorp Bank, then shared some practical AI insights from a CX perspective in the banking sector. Suncorp Bank’s AI-powered chatbot, Scout, captures customer insights, scales consistent responses and informs process improvements. AI has also been extended to support contact center agents, reducing call handling times and improving accuracy, with recent integration of AI-driven search functionality in the company's app for personalized, conversational self-service.

Similarly to the earlier panelists, Clarke also emphasised taking a measured, phased approach with careful use case selection, agent enablement and compliance, while noting potential future applications in advisory services, such as scenario planning for personal finances.

AI: Identify customer problems, empower employees 

Finally, Lolitta Suffian, group head of customer experience at Telecom Malaysia, showcased how AI is empowering employees at TM and improving service. For TM, AI applications such as proactive outage alerts, predictive analytics and AI-assisted agent support are proving hugely useful, allowing staff to leave those elements to one side, and to focus instead on high-value, human-led interactions.

Suffian also agreed that effective AI implementation begins with identifying customer problems, maintaining human oversight, using high-quality data and piloting small, visible initiatives to build trust internally and externally.

In summary, the event underscored a shared vision: that the future of CX should be human-led, but that through careful application, and handled in the right way, AI is perfectly suited to create customer experiences that are faster, smarter and more resilient.

Quick links: 

• How APAC practitioners are building their CX strategy in 2025
• 9 Ways rapid tech advancement is reshaping APAC customer expectations
• 5 Things to know about the state of CX in APAC in 2025