Discover valuable insights on emerging tech and generative AI to stay ahead of the curve.

Every day, but especially amid the myriad displays and sessions promoting emerging tech at South by Southwest (SXSW), companies are trying to stand out. But how do they do it?

John Dubois, EY Consumer Data & Analytics Leader and EY Americas Customer & Growth Co-leader, shared his thoughts on how businesses can stay ahead of emerging tech with Cheddar News at SXSW.

Coming from a startup background, Dubois believes every idea must be born out of a necessity, whether large or small. Particularly with new technologies, companies need to be aware of the initial need and keep an eye on how that need may evolve.

I generally advise customers to look at things, understanding how it will impact you now, but keeping in mind what the premise of that was and how that might apply to you in the future.

Dubois also sees emerging tech as a tool for following, understanding and extrapolating customer behavior. The technology enables our understanding of the customer journey. Applying our knowledge of that journey removes the friction from the system and makes decisions easier and more natural.

Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, was another hot topic at SXSW. Dubois said EY teams have examined use cases for generative AI and how prompt-based systems can make customer journeys “more personable, more personalized [and] more authentic.”

“With generative AI, I think we’re getting closer to a point where maybe we can start to add authenticity to a relationship to create connection with customers and to provide that kind of value at scale.”

Watch the full interview above for more insights.

Summary 

At SXSW, emerging tech and generative AI were highly anticipated topics of discussion. Businesses and their leaders explored potential use cases and discussed strategies to make customer experiences more personalized.

For more insights on marketing & growth initiatives

About this article

Related articles

Uncertain times: Leveraging marketing to engage customers and drive value

Executives reveal how to navigate an economic downturn through hyper-personalization and investing in your brand. Read on.

Forbes CMO Summit: How marketing leaders drive business transformation

Get exclusive insights from top CMOs and industry leaders featured at the Forbes CMO Summit about business transformation. View now!

Why Chief Marketing Officers should be central to every transformation

Chief Marketing Officers are perfectly positioned to help other C-suite executives take their transformations to the next level.