Source: Fortune
Summary
Qualtrics President, Ryan Smith, discusses the importance of trust in AI adoption, stating that customers and employees will disengage if they don’t trust how companies deploy AI. He cites a KPMG study that found only half of people trust AI, despite two-thirds using it regularly. Smith argues that trust is built through thoughtful AI deployment, which can supercharge customer understanding and loyalty, but can also alienate customers if the primary objective is cost-cutting.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story.
Qualtrics President Ryan Smith says trust is the central question in AI conversations. A KPMG study found that only half of people trust AI. Smith argues that cost-cutting AI strategies can lead to impersonal experiences that drive customers away.
The real prize for companies is when they act on customer feedback, integrating agentic AI into surveys and taking action to close the loop immediately. This has led to huge jumps in customer satisfaction and tens of millions in returns.
Smith notes that trust is the great differentiator in business, earning companies better data, better AI interactions, and better experiences.
Companies that understand human connection, personalization, and the ability to make customers feel heard and seen will win in an agentic world.
Trust is the flywheel that pulls leaders ahead, while companies that deploy AI without considering its impact on people find themselves stuck.
Author: Evan Null
