AI agents: The new frontier for brand engagement?

Just over a decade ago, the Oscar award-winning film Her painted a dystopian future where an AI operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson becomes the companion for a lonely writer (played by Joaquin Phoenix).

‌At the time, the premise of the film seemed more sci-fi than real life, but fast forward to 2024, AI girlfriends—and more broadly AI agents—have begun to emerge into the mainstream. Some would even say that partial inspiration has been taken from the film—including Scarlett Johansson herself.

‌Hollywood aside though, AI agents are going to play crucial roles in all facets of society, but it won’t necessarily be in the sinister or dark way we see in movies. You only need to look at every major tech event this year, from CES to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), to see the proliferation of AI agents and assistants being introduced that are gliding almost (not always) seamlessly into our lives.

‌Unlike LLMs, AI agents possess the ability to perceive their environment, make decisions, and execute actions autonomously or semi-autonomously. For example, Apple’s new 'Apple Intelligence' integration into Siri means it will be able to respond with more personal context based on the activity on your device—like adding a reminder to your calendar or summarising an email.

‌In an era where communication and attention spans are increasingly fragmented, marketers are constantly looking for that silver bullet to connect with their audience. So, could the rise of AI agents be that silver bullet?

‌A new frontier for communication and engagement

Chatbots can be simultaneously useful and contentious for brands when it comes to customer service. While they can speed up the process of answering a set list of basic questions, they often lack the nuance to provide answers to anything beyond this. Sometimes customers just want to speak to a person.

‌Enter AI agents. More than just a chatbot, they can respond more naturally and to more complicated queries—as if speaking to a human—which in turn will build stronger and more authentic relationships between brands and consumers.

‌Already, early agents are able to interact and communicate through various modalities, such as text, voice, or even vision. The nature of them allows for seamless interactions between physical and digital environments, enabling more effective communication not limited by location. For example, if a customer visits in-store and speaks to an AI agent, the conversation can be continued online through messaging apps, email or other preferred methods of communication.

‌Qatar Airways is one brand already tapping into this opportunity. Earlier this year, the airline introduced Sama 2.0, an AI-powered digital human cabin crew member who assists its passengers in designing curated travel experiences. Enabled by conversational AI, she is able to answer real-time questions and will continue to learn and develop over time to improve responses through passenger interactions. Customers can engage with Sama 24/7 through QVerse, Qatar Airways’ immersive digital platform, as well as through the airline’s app. This always-on experience means customers can stay engaged regardless of time or location.

‌But, what about the human touch?

As with all discussions around AI and technology, it would be remiss of us to not acknowledge the implications it will have on human jobs. Depending on the use case for the AI agent, ultimately influences how much it will impact jobs held by actual people.

‌Take the Qatar Airways example—in this instance, I don’t see Sama as a direct replacement for human jobs. Instead, Sama is additional support, designed to elevate the customer experience by offering an additional touchpoint for travellers and providing specialised services including instant access to flight information, bookings, and loyalty benefits. On the other hand, if a business is using an AI agent to completely replace people and those people are not reskilled elsewhere then of course, that could be a cause for concern.

‌For brands and marketers though, these agents pose an opportunity to create new immersive and memorable experiences. What I like about the example of Sama is that Qatar Airways has given its brand ‘a face’. Of course, this concept is not new; I’m sure we can all think of brand ambassadors or mascots we love like Tony the Tiger or Ronald McDonald.

‌Imagine tapping into the nostalgia trend and bringing these brand mascots back to life, powered by an AI agent, that customers love and are synonymous with your brand. Customers could engage with it both in-store and online in both functional and fun ways. Not only could this generate buzz, but it could also reinforce brand affinity and loyalty at a time where people are looking to the past for inspiration today.

‌Making your AI agent a success

‌Like with every campaign and investment, leveraging an AI agent should be aligned with the goals and objectives the brand would like to achieve. If you are looking to improve communication, an AI agent is an always on touchpoint for customers to connect with and ask questions alongside your human team. If it is about driving talkability and brand awareness, creating a brand ambassador or ‘face’ for your AI agent or an interactive in-store experience with it can also help.

‌The fundamentals to achieve success remain the same. Having an AI agent for the sake of having one won’t set you up for success. It needs to make sense for the brand and its overarching business strategy.

‌While there is still much more to come, this year has been pivotal in cementing how AI agents will start to play a part in our daily lives. For brands and marketers, AI agents have the potential to be the 'silver bullet' they need to connect with customers and forge long-lasting relationships when used strategically.

‌This is just the beginning of a new era where we might actually be able to piece consumer attention spans back together.