How Yum’s AI factory supercharges marketing at Taco Bell and beyond

Execs at the fast-food giant detail an approach to artificial intelligence that is already powering transformation throughout its digitally focused brands.

By Chris Kelly • Sept. 17, 2025

AI agents will be ‘gatekeepers of loyalty’ in hospitality: study

The rise of AI-powered agents could shift customer loyalty toward algorithms, not hotel brands, according to researchers at Florida Atlantic University.

By Noelle Mateer • Sept. 17, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from CX Dive

The top stories from CX Dive look at customer experience trends, generative AI use cases and the components of a good tech stack.

By CX Dive staff

AI shopping tools are evolving, but are they ready for the holidays?

Most consumers are open to generative AI-powered guidance, but only 3% say they will start their shopping journey with a ChatGPT-type search, according to Coveo research.

By Bryan Wassel • Sept. 16, 2025

Marriott checks out AI agents amid technology transformation

Automating high-cost processes and improving experiences are two key priorities. The goal is to move associates away from manual, repetitive tasks to focus on better serving guests.

By Lindsey Wilkinson • Sept. 15, 2025

Gartner predicts Fortune 500 companies won’t eliminate human agents anytime soon

“At the end of the day do we think there will be fewer agents? Yes. But a fully agentless future is not going to happen,” Gartner’s Kathy Ross said.

By Kristen Doerer • Sept. 12, 2025

Albertsons deploys Google Cloud’s AI-powered tool for product discovery

The AI tool “moves beyond traditional search,” providing personalized interaction and intuitive guidance, Albertsons’ Jill Pavlovich said.

By Kristen Doerer • Sept. 12, 2025

Atlassian lays off another 200 customer service, support staff

The company came to the decision after its customer experience improvements to platform and tools reduced support needs, a spokesperson told CX Dive.

By Kristen Doerer • Sept. 10, 2025

Ralph Lauren rolls out AI-powered assistant to dole out fashion advice

Ask Ralph can suggest products and offer advice based on prompts like “What should I wear to a concert?” and “How can I style my navy-blue men’s blazer?”

By Bryan Wassel • Sept. 10, 2025

How to write an AI ethics policy for the workplace

One expert emphasized flexibility, saying, “A static AI policy will be outdated before the ink dries.”

By Caroline Colvin • Sept. 10, 2025

AI search and summaries distrusted by about half of consumers: Gartner

It’s an opportunity for brands to “strengthen their reputation as trusted resources,” according to a company analyst.

By Michael Brady • Sept. 8, 2025

Amazon integrates Lens visual search with its AI shopping assistant

Lens Live lets customers browse a swipeable product carousel and add items to their cart within the camera view.

By Bryan Wassel • Sept. 5, 2025

Salesforce still sees a place for live customer service agents after massive cuts

The company slashed about 4,000 customer service agents as its use of AI picked up, but CEO Marc Benioff still expects people and AI to work together.

By Bryan Wassel • Sept. 4, 2025

Williams-Sonoma scales AI customer service assistant across portfolio

The company is also launching an AI “culinary companion” that will help customers with product discovery and offer advice on topics like holiday entertaining.

By Bryan Wassel • Sept. 2, 2025

Citi rolls out a pair of AI-powered banking platforms

The financial firm’s data, analytics and innovation team deployed two client-communication assistants for its wealth advisory division Monday.

By Matt Ashare • Sept. 2, 2025

Consumers want AI guardrails, but few business leaders have policies in place

More than one-quarter of CX leaders say their organization is ready to deploy agentic AI, despite having no governance policy in place, Genesys found.

By Michael Brady • Sept. 2, 2025

Generational preferences are shaping attitudes toward customer service

All consumers demand accuracy, while younger consumers stand out with an affinity for self-service and AI, a Decagon survey found.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 27, 2025

3 challenges CX leaders will face for the rest of 2025

A trade war, rising prices and fresh AI developments are putting CX teams in the hot seat.

By Bryan Wassel , Kristen Doerer • Aug. 27, 2025

C-suite, workers eschew AI policies at work

Employees of all levels are increasing security risks by misusing AI tools and disregarding protocols, according to a CalypsoAI survey.

By Lindsey Wilkinson • Aug. 26, 2025

How Bank of America’s Erica raised the stakes for virtual assistants

“A big area of focus for us was: How can we find that balance between the AI support and the human support that Bank of America is known for?” said Jorge Camargo, head of digital platforms.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 25, 2025

Walmart’s AI assistant will be ‘primary vehicle’ for shopping, CEO says

The technology will power Sparky, the retailer’s customer-facing agent, while helping the retailer better understand and react to shopper needs, Doug McMillon said.

By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 21, 2025

Lowe’s credits associate-facing app for customer satisfaction boost

The Mylow Companion app is helping get new hires up to speed while enhancing the knowledge of experienced workers across departments, executives said.

By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 21, 2025

US Open serves AI add-ons for tennis matches

With IBM, the United States Tennis Association is embedding the technology to improve the fan experience and boost productivity behind the scenes.

By Lindsey Wilkinson • Aug. 19, 2025

Saks Fifth Avenue taps AI for customer inquiries

The luxury retailer is building off of NLX and Amazon Web Services technology to aggregate data for customer service agents to make more informed decisions.

By Xanayra Marin-Lopez • Aug. 18, 2025

AI delivers the best customer support when it’s enhancing humans, study finds

“AI is most effective when human agents can use it as a ‘sixth sense’ or as an ‘angel on the shoulder,’” Verizon Business’ Daniel Lawson said.

By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 18, 2025

Customers still don’t love AI in customer service

While AI is making inroads in customer support, 82% of customers say they’d prefer human support even if wait times and time spent are the same, a HubSpot and SurveyMonkey report found.

By Kristen Doerer • Aug. 15, 2025