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Nearly every company I work with is focused on using AI to drive productivity and efficiency. They are starting to see real gains, and thats leading to excitement about AIs future potential. However, AI used to drive efficiency is only the starting line, and theres real risk if we stop there. In my work with Fortune 500 leaders across the C-suite, from chief HR officers (CHROs) to CTOs and CMOs, Ive seen that the very best organizations recognize a bigger opportunity: using AI to help managers build connection and trust with their teams. The companies that are able to leverage AI both to drive efficiency gains and to build highly motivated teams will be the ones that come out ahead. If youre only using AI for productivity, youre at risk AI is transforming work, and nearly every company I talk with is applying it to boost productivity from automating tasks to streamlining workflows and scaling output like coding and design. However, if we think about AI only as a tool for efficiency and cost cutting, were missing the bigger picture. Worse, we risk widening the trust gap that already exists in so many workplaces. The data is striking. A recent Upwork survey of 2,500 global workers, including 1,250 C-suite executives, found that 67% of top AI performers said they trust AI more than their colleagues, and 64% said they have a better relationship with AI than with their teammates. There is real risk present in those statements. At the end of the day, even with increased AI use, humans still have to work together to get things done. If we dont trust each other, efficiency gains from AI may be lost as organizations get mired in conflict, gossip, and fearthe hallmarks of low-trust company cultures. So, the question for every executive becomes: How do we equip the next generation of managers to use AI in service of connection? Here are three powerful ways. 1. AI as Your Leadership Memory The best managers Ive seen dont just lead, they remember. They pick up on the way individuals prefer feedback, they create a spark by recognizing people in a unique way, and they remember those personal details that tell someone they’re not just a cog in the wheel. Those moments of recognition build trust and loyalty. But today’s leaders are stretched. Teams are bigger, hierarchies flatter, and we simply cant hold all of that in our heads. As a leader myself, I often struggle to remember every detail about how each person on my team prefers to work or communicate. And every manager Ive coached has felt the same, because its hard to stay personal when youre juggling so much. Thats where AI steps in to reinforce what you already do best. Imagine before a one-on-one, your AI leadership memory gently reminds you that your direct report prefers written feedback over verbal, or that last time you spoke, they mentioned their childs soccer tournament. It can nudge you with thoughtful opening lines, and maybe even help you frame a difficult message so it lands in the best possible way. Thats not replacing the personal touch, its enabling it to scale. Leaders can use tools like Rising Team that automatically pull in insights that colleagues have shared, or manually upload materialslike personality assessmentsthat their team members have chosen to share. That way the AI can surface those details when they are helpful, without needing to use any private information. AI is helping you remember what matters, in the moment that it matters. 2. AI as Your Coaching Partner Some of the most meaningful moments in peoples careers come from the hardest conversations. Great leaders can deliver constructive feedback that helps people grow, diffuse conflict in a way that builds trust, and help teams be resilient amidst major challenges. Many managers just freeze, or wing it in conversations like these, not because they dont care, but because they dont know how to approach them and dont have a way to practice. And today, HR business partners can’t be there for every one of those moments. What if you could practice, and have your teams real dynamics baked in? Ive seen this dramatically shift things. Role-play with AI tailored to your specific engineer who needs time to process, or your marketer who craves blunt feedbackthats when AI coaching becomes real, actionable readiness. By practicing with a tool that knows your people, managers show up with clarity, empathy, and trust. 3. AI as Your Team Experience Builder Connection doesnt just happen in one-on-ones. Teams build trust and alignment in shared experiences, whether its learning a critical skill, tackling a big strategy shift, or building insights about how to work together as a team. But creating and facilitating those sessions takes time and expertise, and most managers dont have the time or the support to do it well. This is where AI can help. Think of it like working with a facilitation proone who knows theory and your team context. It can layer in warm-ups, activity ideas, reflective questions, and even capture what people say, track whos engaged, and surface next steps. With help from AI, managers are now capable of bringing their teams together to build trust and connection in synchronous experiences that were too hard or expensive to do before. As an executive, imagine rolling out a new company initiative or framework. Instead of relying on slides and top-down presentations, AI can now help your managers lead team sessions with reflective prompts, collaborative exercises, and clear action plans. This ensures that experiences across the organization are consistent, measurable, and engaging. Beyond Productivity: Building a System for Connected Leadership AI is often portrayed as a catalyst for productivity. And yes, its great for that, but I believe the real frontier is AI as a force to drive connectiona leadership system for modern teams. Because the future isn’t about choosing AI or humanity. Its about how we use AI to amplify our humanity, and build teams that are not just productive, but also high trust, resilient, and great at delivering results together.
Category:
E-Commerce
On Friday, shares of U.S. rare earth stocks rose after President Donald Trump accused China of strict export controls and threatened a massive increase of tariffs on Chinese products” once againhowever, the comments ended up triggering a market sell-off. At issue: China imposed stricter export controls on critical rare earth minerals that the U.S. technology industry depends on for electronics, robotics, and electric vehicles, which are also critical for the defense industry, per CNBC. The news network also reported China will now require foreign entities to obtain a license to export products that contain rare earths worth 0.1% or more of the goods value. I will be forced, as President of the United States of America, to financially counter their move, Trump said on Truth Social, his social platform. There are many other countermeasures that are, likewise, under serious consideration. Stock market effect After Trump announced his plans to raise Beijing’s tariffs, a number of rare earth stocks went up: USA Rare Earth surged 19%, Energy Fuels rose 10%, and MP Materials gained 15%, CNBC reported. By the end of the day, those stocks had lost some of those gains, with USA Rare Earth up only 6%, Energy Fuels up just 4%, while MP Materials maintained its position, up 10%. On the other hand, the global cryptocurrency market lost nearly $125 billion within hours. The total global crypto market capitalization was at $4.05 trillion, down 3.94% in the last 24 hours, marking a 83.68% change from one year ago. Bitcoin’s (BTC) market cap was at $2.32 trillion, representing a Bitcoin dominance of 57.23%. Meanwhile, stablecoins’ market cap was at $310 Billion, with a 7.66% share of the total crypto market cap, according to CoinGecko. The sell-off spread to the stock market as well, where the S&P 500 lost 2.71%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the day down 878.82 points (1.9%), and the Nasdaq Composite fell 3.56%, CNBC reported. That sell-off included Nvidia (NVDA), which was down almost 5% at the close of the market.
Category:
E-Commerce
Customer experience is entering the sci-fi age: knowing and understanding customers on an individual level, providing personalized service, and dedicated moments. All of this is becoming possible thanks to technological innovation. And as it shifts, were moving beyond the age of reactive service, where customer satisfaction was measured by stale, bi-annual surveys. Were entering an era of proactive, predictive customer care. Companies missions today should be to transform every interaction into a moment of loyalty and growth, a goal we are working to achieve through our latest in-house innovation: the Customer Experience Index, or CXI. While many companies talk about focusing on customer experience, we wanted to move beyond buzzwords and create a framework that allows for proactive, real-time management of our customer relationships. Traditional methods of measuring customer satisfaction, like the bi-annual surveys mentioned earlier, often fall short. They only provide a snapshot in time, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of daily customer sentiment and needs. To truly drive change and speak to our customers on their current standing, we needed something morea tool that could provide real-time, actionable insights at a massive scale. UNDERSTAND THE EXPERIENCE WITHOUT ASKING THE QUESTION This is where the Customer Experience Index comes in. It is an AI-powered, real-time measurement framework that transforms raw customer sentiment into predictive, actionable insights, which in turn works to enhance loyalty, reduce churn, and drive business growth. Its not just a metric; its a predictive engine built on over 200 AI/machine learning models and generative AI insights. The CXI evaluates a wide range of factors, including customer behavior, network performance, service interactions, and even external market signals like mergers and acquisitions. With a 98% accuracy rate compared to traditional NPS surveys, CXI gives us near instant, account-level insights that allow us to anticipate and address issues before they escalate for our business customers. The ability of CXI to understand the experience without asking the question, is a game changer. It enables us to shift from a reactive to a proactive customer experience model. For example, our service teams no longer just react to inbound service calls. Instead, an AI-powered tool called “Right to Sell,” fed by CXI data, provides real-time guidance to agents during a service call. A green light might signal that a customer is satisfied and an agent can suggest a new product or service, while a red light indicates the customer is frustrated, and the agent should focus on resolving their issue and building brand loyalty. This allows our service team to transition from a cost center to a value-driving part of the business. This shift also frees up our dedicated sales teams to focus on more strategic selling opportunities. This approachs impact is already clear. In the first half of 2025 alone, around 20% of our accounts saw an improvement in their CXI scores. These customers are more likely to stay with us, buy more from us, and even become evangelists of our services. These results demonstrate how we are translating customer insights into tangible business outcomes. PERSONALIZATION MATTERS Beyond the numbers, the CXI represents a deeper, more empathetic understanding of our customers’ journeys. By integrating conversational intelligence that analyzes interactions across all communication channels (with the customer opting in)including phone calls, chat, and emailwe can score customer sentiment and track our commitments in real time. This allows our specialized teams to proactively engage with customers, sometimes even before the customer is aware of the problem, and provide a higher level of care. Ultimately, our ability to deliver winning customer experiences is tied to this level of personalization. By understanding our customers both rationally and emotionally, we can anticipate their needs, offer proactive solutions, and provide a seamless, intuitive experience across all touchpoints. Our work with CXI is not just about tracking satisfaction; it’s about actively shaping a future where every interaction strengthens customer loyalty and fuels growth, propelling us toward our customer goals and solidifying our position as a leader in customer experience. Iris Meijer is chief product and marketing officer of Verizon Business.
Category:
E-Commerce
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