In this episode of Reimagining the Contact Center, Marc Bernstein sits down with customer experience legend Shep Hyken to unpack the evolving relationship between AI and human empathy in customer service.

Together, they dive into:

• The rise of self-service everything

• The danger of “artificial incompetence”

• Why empathy still matters—even in a world ruled by bots

• The tension between customer convenience and human connection

• What a no-human future might mean for loyalty, trust, and brand memory

Whether you're building an AI roadmap or just trying to keep your CX human, this episode will challenge your assumptions and sharpen your strategy.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:33 AI for Consumers

15:25 Human Empathy

17:35 Artificial Incompetence

22:40 A Future With No Humans

33:04 What Companies Will Still Hire People?

40:15 AI in 3 Years