Imagine a world where every support call, chat interaction, or service request is handled by an artificial intelligence agent that doesn't just understand the customer but also reflects the brand, adapts to the context, and communicates in a tone that feels human. This is no longer theoretical. This is happening now, and consumers are already on board.
We've entered a new era when brands must navigate not just digital transformation but identity transformation. AI agents are no longer just tools for service; they're evolving into brand ambassadors. Each AI interaction becomes a brand touchpoint, shaped by what we now call personality engineering. This is a brand-new domain that includes the strategic design of how agents behave, speak, and adapt depending on to whom they are speaking and the context of the conversation.
This shift became undeniably clear at this year's Consumer Electronics Show and Mobile World Congress. Leaders in the tech world unveiled frameworks that move past automation and into autonomy, with AI agents that don't just respond but decide. And yet, while the technology is racing ahead, many communications service providers (CSPs) still lag in understanding how to embed their brand personality into the agent and awareness of what consumers want from these experiences.
This isn't just a tech transformation. It's a brand transformation. In the past, customer service was an operational cost. In the agentic era, it's a brand moment. And the question facing CSPs today is whether AI will represent their brands in the ways they want.
There are no absolute rights or wrongs in this space, only decisions that must be made. Who is your AI agent? Female? Male? Is it humanoid or cartoon-like? Friendly or formal? Chatty or succinct? The possibilities go on. What behavior does the brand expect? And what do consumers actually prefer?
The Expectation Gap is Growing
Consumers are already using AI tools like ChatGPT in their daily lives for school, for travel, for productivity. To them, this is not new technology. It's just technology. The familiarity breeds higher expectations, and that's where the real challenge lies.
Our study found that 45 percent of consumers already prefer personal AI agents over human agents for certain interactions—a sharp contrast to CSPs' perception. Consumers expect empathy, speed, professionalism. They want resolution, not runaround.
But CSPs aren't confident their agents can meet those standards. Our study also found the following:
- 80 percent of consumers expect empathy, but only 43 percent of CSPs believe their AI can deliver it.
- 85 percent of consumers expect professionalism, but CSP confidence is significantly lower (44 percent).
- 87 percent of consumers expect quick issue resolution, while only 51 percent of CSPs feel their AI agents can meet this expectation.
This disconnect isn't just a missed opportunity; it's a competitive risk. Sixty-one percent of consumers say they would switch providers for a better AI experience, further demonstrating the importance of this more tailored approach moving forward.
The Path Forward: Designing Agentic Experiences with Intent
The way forward isn't just adopting AI; it's designing AI experiences that align with brand values, customer context, and cultural nuance. This is what separates commodity agents from brand builders. Companies must treat AI agent design as they would product design or advertising: thoughtfully, strategically, and differentiated.
Also, an underestimated hurdle is data readiness. It's not enough to make datasets available; agents must be able to identify, retrieve, and apply the right data for the task at hand. Answering even the simplest of inquiries correctly demands more than access; it requires logic, context, and actionability.
To overcome this, CSPs need unified data strategies that don't just break down silos but empower agents to make predictive, personalized decisions at scale.
The agentic AI era gives CSPs a rare opportunity to rebuild customer relationships from the ground up. Not through policy. Not through fine print. But through real, daily interactions, with each one reinforcing the brand, solving problems, and earning trust.
This is more than an AI upgrade. It's a strategic inflection point. The CSPs that embrace personality engineering, customer-aligned design, and brand-centric thinking will lead the next chapter of telecom, and not just by closing the gapbut by redefining the entire experience.
Gil Rosen is chief marketing officer of Amdocs.