Experience Talks in New York: Exploring the Future of Experience-led Growth in the Era of AI with Microsoft and Adobe

Generative AI is rapidly changing the world around us, from how we work to how customers engage with brands. Recently, we discussed some of those changes (along with trends and tips for leveraging AI) at our New York City event Experience Talks: Exploring the Future of Experience-led Growth in the Era of AI.

This thought leadership series and Rightpoint, Adobe and Microsoft collaboration for leaders in Marketing, Technology and Experience, featured myself as host for the evening and two incredibly impressive industry leaders:

• Peter Nam, Sr. Practice Lead AEM, Gen AI Team Lead at Adobe

• Mike Pell | LinkedIn, Envisioneer, Director, The Microsoft Garage - NYC

Both Peter and Mike shared their unique insights on the impact AI is having on the marketer’s role and customer journey, along with opportunities to maximize value with AI.

Here are the key takeaways from the night.

Start experimenting or get left behind

Many brands hesitate to experiment with AI, believing they’ll avoid risk by waiting safely on the sidelines to see how things play out. In truth, brands that don’t embrace this era of experimentation are already getting left behind. Innovative companies are discovering ways to create differentiated brand experiences with AI, while individuals are using AI to fast-track their careers.

“Don’t wait for your business to try out AI,” said Mike. “Start experimenting with it yourself and see how it can accelerate you as a person.”

Establish an AI governance structure

Though it seems like the Wild West of AI experimentation, now is the time to get serious about AI governance. As copyright and privacy laws increasingly take the spotlight, legal teams should become more closely integrated with creative and IT departments. While many brands worry that legal teams slow down processes, it’s an essential part of responsible AI governance.

Brands should look to the example of Microsoft, which created a Responsible AI team more than five years ago, to learn how to handle AI governance internally. Mike said the team established core principles about transparency, accountability, privacy, and more. Each product and piece of content is reviewed based on these principles, even if it’s not AI-replated.

“You have to make sure AI is being used properly to avoid unintended consequences,” Mike said. “You have to take this seriously.”

Human creativity isn’t going anywhere

Is AI going to steal your job? Probably not. “AI is a tool, and you can use it as a superpower. Figure out how it can make you better. Don’t be scared it’s going to take your job — it will evolve your job,” said Peter.

The future requires workers to hone their soft skills — communication, problem-solving, and the ability to ask the right questions. Similarly, human creativity is becoming increasingly valuable in an age when many repetitive, manual tasks can be handled by technology.

“The creative process isn’t A to B — it’s not a straight line. It might become something completely different from when you started. AI isn’t like that,” Peter said. “The human is still in the driver’s seat directing this. My advice is to be as human as you can.”

Likewise, Neil warns that technology isn’t enough to give your company a competitive edge. What really matters is how you’re using that technology to create human-centered and customer-centered experiences.

“Technology is great, but we care more about people,” Neil said. “Everything should be about experience first.”

Honing your AI skills takes practice

It’s hard to imagine a time before Google's search engine helped you do your job faster and more efficiently. Likewise, there will come a time when it’s hard to imagine working without the assistance of AI tools.

But it’s important to approach these tools with the right expectations. Remember that leveraging AI to the fullest takes a lot of practice. It’s not easy to craft the perfect prompt or create a seamless workflow with AI — which is why companies like Rightpoint exist to help you maximize their potential.

If you’re intimidated by AI tools, the best thing you can do is simply dive in and start learning. Start small, and don’t be afraid to fail. Get in there, start imagining the possibilities, and learn from your experiences.

Maximize the value of AI

Adopting AI at scale can feel overwhelming, but that shouldn’t be an excuse to sit on the sidelines. Rather than waiting for your company to take on a big AI project, start by experimenting at an individual or team level.

Rightpoint can help you figure out where AI can provide incremental value to both your personal work experience, as well as the experiences you are crafting for team members. Whether it is leveraging Microsoft Copilot or using AI-enabled tool sets within Adobe, Rightpoint can help you start your journey towards maximizing AI-enabled experiences.

If you want to learn more about how Rightpoint can help, click here.