The Modern CXO: Leading in the Age of AI and Uncertainty. Aslan Patov at Doers Summit

About Doers Summit

Doers Summit brings together operators, builders, and decision-makers who are actively shaping the future of business, technology, and leadership. The focus is pragmatic: less theory, more real-world application. Panels are designed to surface how leaders actually make decisions under pressure — not how they wish things worked.

This year’s panel, “The Modern CXO: Leading in the Age of AI and Uncertainty,” reflected exactly that ethos.

The Panel

• Aslan Patov – CX & Behavioral Economics Advisor, Founder of Renascence
• Yousof Alsatom – Head of Bosch Innovation Campus
• Akash Parmar – Google EMEA Applied AI Lead
  

The discussion explored how AI is reshaping customer expectations, operating models, and leadership mindsets — with a clear consensus: AI is no longer a future capability, it is a present responsibility.

1. AI Is Resetting the Baseline of Customer Expectations

Aslan highlighted that AI is not just improving CX — it is raising the minimum acceptable standard.

Customers now expect:

• Near-instant responses, regardless of channel
• Context awareness (remembering history, preferences, intent)
• Fewer explanations, less repetition, less effort
  

The real shift is psychological: customers compare every experience not to competitors in the same industry, but to the best AI-enabled experience they’ve ever had — whether that’s a bank, airline, or streaming platform. For CXOs, this means speed and relevance are no longer differentiators. They are entry tickets.

2. Automation vs Human Touch: A Design Problem, Not a Tech Problem

Aslan was direct on this point:

“Most companies don’t fail at AI because of technology. They fail because they automate the wrong moments.”

AI should absorb cognitive load — not emotional moments.

He emphasized mapping journeys based on emotional intensity, not just process steps:

• Automate where confidence is high and emotion is low
• Preserve human interaction where reassurance, trust, or judgment matter
  

In other words, AI should remove friction, not remove humanity.

3. Hyper-Personalisation Requires Radical Transparency

On data and trust, Aslan challenged the room with a hard truth:

Customers don’t hate personalisation. They hate creepy personalisation.

Trust is maintained when:

• The value exchange is obvious (“you get this because we know that”)
• Customers understand how their data improves their experience
• AI decisions are explainable, not opaque
  

Silence erodes trust faster than mistakes. Transparency is now a CX capability, not a legal checkbox.

4. AI as a Decision Partner, Not a Decision Maker

When asked about AI-driven decision making, Aslan stressed that AI’s biggest value today is pattern recognition at scale, not autonomous decisions.

In CX, AI is already improving:

• Journey drop-off analysis
• Behavioral clustering beyond demographics
• Early detection of dissatisfaction before complaints happen
  

The measurable impact comes when AI insights are embedded into weekly CX rituals, not parked in dashboards no one checks.

5. The CX Talent Shift

According to Aslan, the future CX team will not be defined by tools, but by hybrid literacy:

• Understanding human behavior and biases
• Interpreting AI outputs critically
• Designing experiences, not just managing channels
  

The most dangerous skill gap is not technical — it’s the inability to ask the right questions of AI.

Real Estate & UAE Examples

AI in Real Estate CX

Drawing from deep regional experience, Aslan shared how AI is reshaping real estate CX across the lifecycle:

• Predictive lead scoring to prioritize high-intent buyers
• AI-driven clienteling for brokers and relationship managers
• Proactive service interventions during post-handover phases
  

The biggest gains are not in sales alone, but in reducing anxiety during long, high-value decision journeys.

UAE Leaders in AI Adoption

From Aslan’s perspective, the UAE stands out for intentional, government-backed AI adoption, particularly where AI is embedded into:

• Public services and digital government platforms
• Banking and financial services personalization
• Smart city and real estate ecosystems
  

What differentiates the UAE is not experimentation, but scaled execution with governance.

The modern CXO is no longer just a customer advocate. They are:

• A translator between AI and humans
• A guardian of trust
• A designer of decision environments
  

As uncertainty increases, clarity of experience becomes a leadership act. AI doesn’t replace that responsibility — it amplifies it.