You speak about the need for organisations to harness AI to improve the customer experience, but how can financial service providers stay connected to their customers when they have fewer human interactions?

That’s where my 99%-1% rule comes in.

In 99% of interactions, customers want speed, ease, and convenience — and that’s where AI shines. It’s  about solving simple questions, automating processes, and removing friction. But in that remaining 1% — when emotions run high, when decisions involve a lot of money, or when life gets complex — people want a real human. Not just someone to “do the job,” but someone to listen, empathise, and advise.

The role of humans in financial services is not disappearing — it’s evolving. AI will take care of the operations, which frees up humans to focus on what they’re best at: emotional intelligence, connectivity, and trust-building. Fewer human interactions doesn’t mean weaker relationships — it means the human moments that remain will be more meaningful than ever.
 

Is the expectation of hyperpersonalisation inevitable in all transactions and what are the risks of not implementing strategies that can truly serve the individual?

Absolutely. But it’s more than just personalised emails or relevant offers — we’re entering the era of the  AI-powered personal adviser.

Imagine a digital financial coach that knows you, remembers you, works only for you, and is available  24/7. That’s the new standard. And if you don’t meet it, you risk feeling outdated. You risk becoming irrelevant.

This new wave of personalisation isn’t about marketing — it’s about helping people make better  decisions in a trusted and highly contextual way. If you’re not building towards that today, you’ll be invisible tomorrow.
 

With the shift away from Google as a search engine towards ChatGPT (or alternatives), how can brands ensure they do not disappear from view?

In the world of Large Language Models, brands don’t compete for clicks — they compete to be the best answer. That means content must evolve. It’s no longer about SEO tricks, it’s about being truly useful, trusted, and contextually relevant. Companies should start investing in what I call “AI-readable content” — answers that these models can pick up, trust, and present to users at exactly the right moment.

This is part of the broader Customer Experience Renaissance: companies must stop thinking inside-out,  and start building value from the customer’s perspective — even if that means showing up in a chatbot response rather than a traditional ad.

Is it worth investing in people when AI will soon be able to serve all of the customer’s needs?

Yes — more than ever. But not the same way as before. We don’t need more humans for operational tasks. We need people who can connect, inspire, show passion, and help navigate ethical questions.  When everything else is automated, human interaction becomes the most valuable asset — because it’s rare.

This is the paradox of AI: the more digital our world becomes, the more human skills stand out. And  that’s what companies should be investing in today.
 

What should companies do now to lay the groundwork for the next ten years?

The next decade will be shaped by three things: extreme convenience, unexpected delight, and deep  trust.

AI will help us remove all friction — but that’s not enough. The companies that win will be the ones that go beyond convenience and use AI to create magical, personal moments. At the same time, trust will be the foundation of every interaction. Data ethics, transparency, and security will move from IT topics to boardroom priorities.

It’s not about building the future in one big leap — it’s about experimenting today with how AI can serve your customers better, and using those learnings to scale over time.

Find out more: Visit https://www.stevenvanbelleghem.com/

This article was first published in Society Matters magazine