In this final issue of Conversations @ Tangible 2025, we look at how AI is changing products and services, and what this means for brands and leaders who want to build experiences that people will remember, trust, and share.
You can’t deny, AI is all around you, and you just can’t avoid it
In fact, you’ve probably already utilised artificial intelligence today.
It might have been when Spotify created your “perfect for this mood” playlist, when Grab predicted your fare, or when Netflix decided which show to tempt you with next. All of these are examples of AI quietly working in the background, shaping the products and services you use without ever announcing itself. AI is becoming an invisible layer in everyday experiences, and that has huge implications for how brands create value, build trust, and stand out.
What AI really changes
From a customer’s point of view, the impact of AI is not about algorithms, but about how they experience products and services. At its core, AI is about systems that learn from data to make predictions and decisions, and that changes how products and services behave over time.
In that regard, four big shifts matter for brands:
1. From static to adaptive
Traditional products behave the same way for everyone. With AI, services can learn from each interaction and adjust accordingly. Think of a content app that learns what you prefer to read, or a fitness app that adapts your routine based on your progress rather than following a fixed plan.
2. From mass to “one”
Marketing has always talked about segmentation, but AI makes it possible to tailor offers, content, and even pricing to individuals at scale. Retailers can curate product selections that feel hand‑picked and relevant to you. Done well, this feels like a brand finally “gets you”.
3. From reactive to proactive
Many services wait for a customer request: “I have this problem; please help.” AI allows services to anticipate needs and act earlier. A financial app might flag that your spending pattern looks risky before it becomes a problem, or a telco could suggest a more suitable plan before you hit your data cap. This shift from “call us when something breaks” to “we’re looking out for you” can be a powerful expression of a brand’s promise.
4. From linear journeys to fluid experiences
Customer journeys used to follow neat, linear steps: awareness, consideration, purchase, use, support. AI weaves search, chat, recommendations, and automation into a more fluid experience. You might ask a chatbot a question, be shown curated content, get a personalised offer, and complete a purchase without ever seeing a traditional webpage.
The new brand challenge: invisible tech, visible trust
As AI capabilities become widely available, technology itself becomes less of a differentiator. Many brands can plug into similar models and tools; what becomes truly differentiating is how a brand uses AI to express its unique brand promise, values, and personality.
This creates two core tensions that brand leaders need to manage:
1. Automation vs. human touch
Automating routine queries or processes can free humans to focus on complex, sensitive situations, which is one of the great benefits of AI. That said, in sectors like healthcare, finance, and hospitality, there are moments where human contact is not just preferred but essential. Brands need to decide what should always remain human, what can be “AI first, human in the loop,” and what can be fully automated. Those choices say a lot about what a brand values.
2. Speed vs. stewardship
There is intense pressure to “move fast” on AI for efficiency and competitive reasons. At the same time, regulators and society are increasingly concerned with fairness, bias, transparency, and safety. Leaders must balance experimentation with governance: setting clear guardrails, reviewing high‑impact use cases, and defining where the brand will not go, even if the technology allows it.
A useful guideline to follow is having “AI‑on‑brand”: ensuring that every AI‑enabled interaction behaves in a way that is consistent with the brand’s promise, tone, and ethics. If your brand stands for reassurance and clarity, your AI should not be cryptic or pushy; if your brand stands for empowerment, your AI should give options, not orders.
Creating “on‑brand AI”
Rather than treating AI as a technology project, it helps to see it as a new material for experience design. The following are some ways you can consider using to guide teams in designing AI features that are both effective and on‑brand.
1. Start from human frictions
Instead of asking, “Where can we use AI?”, start with “Where are customers currently confused, anxious, or frustrated?” Map the journey and identify specific friction points – long waits, complex forms, confusing choices, or information overload.
Only then ask, “Could AI genuinely reduce this friction or make this moment feel more personal?” Examples include using AI to simplify form‑filling, triage support requests more intelligently, or summarise complex information in plain language. When AI is anchored in a real human problem, adoption and satisfaction tend to be much higher.
2. Align your “AI personality” with your brand
Most brands already have a personality defined in their guidelines. The missing step is translating that personality into how AI behaves: tone of voice, how proactive it should be, how much it should explain, and how cautious or experimental it can be.
A healthcare brand, for instance, might have an AI that is calm, clear, and conservative in its advice, continuously highlighting limitations and encouraging professional consultation when needed. A youth lifestyle brand might have an AI that uses informal language, suggests bold options, and embraces more experimentation while still respecting boundaries around safety and consent.
3. Make the invisible visible
Many AI decisions are invisible, which can make customers uneasy. Brands can counter this by adopting simple transparency practices: short explanations like “We’re suggesting this because you liked…” or “We predicted this based on your recent activity,” plus clear options to adjust or turn off personalisation.
At the crux of this is about giving people enough information to feel informed and in control. Simple privacy settings, reminders of what data is being used, and accessible explanations for important decisions can turn a black‑box experience into one that feels more collaborative and trustworthy.
4. Measure what matters to humans
AI projects are often evaluated using technical metrics like accuracy, latency, or cost savings. To understand whether AI is supporting or undermining the brand, teams should measure human‑centred outcomes such as: perceived helpfulness, ease, comfort, trust, and preference for the AI‑enabled experience versus the old one.
The key is to treat AI not just as a back‑office efficiency lever, but as a core part of the brand experience to be designed, tested, and refined.
What leaders can do now
For leaders in marketing, product, and customer experience, AI can feel overwhelming, but the first steps can be focused and practical.
1. Audit where AI already touches your customers
Many organisations already use AI in fraud detection, recommendations, search, or support routing, but these elements are rarely viewed through a brand lens. Map current uses and ask: “Is this interaction on‑brand? How might it feel from a customer’s point of view?”
2. Create an “AI experience charter”
Develop a simple, one‑page agreement that defines how your brand will and will not use AI when it comes to customers’ interactions with your products and services. This can cover principles like transparency, consent, tone, escalation to humans, and areas that are off‑limits, giving product and marketing teams a clear reference.
3. Run one focused, low‑risk pilot
Instead of trying to “transform everything,” choose one friction point where AI could make a clear difference and run a contained pilot. Involve real customers early, test different designs, and measure both performance and sentiment, then share the learnings to build confidence and capability.
As AI becomes a common ingredient in products and services, the real competitive edge will not be the model you choose, but the kind of human experience you design around it. Brands that treat AI as a medium for expressing their promise will be the products and services that people choose, trust, and recommend.
References:
- Morgan Stanley on AI trends and enterprise focus: https://www.morganstanley.com/insights/articles/ai-trends-reasoning-frontier-models-2025-tmt
- General “AI in industries / CX” material: https://sada.com/blog/5-tech-predictions-for-2025-how-google-cloud-and-ai-will-transform-key-industries-2/
- McKinsey “State of AI in 2025” for adoption, transformation, and governance themes: https://kanerika.com/blogs/the-state-of-ai-mckinsey-report/
- Automate Service Without Losing the Human Touch: https://deliberatedirections.com/automate-service-without-losing-the-human-touch/
- AI Won’t Just Cut Costs, It Will Reinvent the Customer Experience: https://www.bain.com/insights/ai-wont-just-cut-costs-it-will-reinvent-the-customer-experience/
