Digital
From data to delight: How AI is powering the next wave of customer engagement
Mumbai: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the marketing landscape, becoming a key tool for brands looking to deliver smarter, faster, and more personalised experiences. For digital marketing agencies and brands, AI is moving beyond hype and becoming an essential part of how they connect with their audience. Whether through automation, personalisation, or predictive insights, AI is driving significant changes in marketing strategies.
Personalisation at scale: A game-changer for marketers
Personalisation has been a core goal for marketers for years, but scaling it has always been challenging. AI allows brands to analyse massive amounts of customer data in real time, providing valuable insights into individual preferences and behaviours. This enables brands to deliver highly personalised content, offers, and recommendations to consumers at scale.
For example, many e-commerce platforms use AI algorithms to recommend products based on a customer’s browsing and purchase history. This type of hyper-personalization has been shown to boost engagement and conversions. According to a 2023 McKinsey report, companies using AI to power personalisation have seen a 10-20 per cent increase in conversion rates. This makes AI an invaluable tool for digital marketing agencies striving to deliver unique, targeted experiences to each customer without the need for excessive manual intervention.
One major advantage of AI is its ability to constantly learn and adapt. As customers interact with a brand, AI-driven systems can fine-tune recommendations, content, and offers to reflect evolving preferences. This dynamic capability allows brands to stay relevant and responsive, offering a level of personalisation that was previously unattainable.
Predictive analytics: Anticipating what customers want
Predictive analytics is another area where AI is making a profound impact. Instead of relying on historical data alone, AI-driven tools are now helping brands predict future customer behaviours and preferences. By analysing past interactions, purchase history, and external factors like trends or seasonality, AI can forecast what products or services a customer may be interested in next.
This proactive approach allows brands to tailor their marketing strategies, accordingly, delivering offers or recommendations before the customer even realises their need. For instance, streaming platforms like Netflix use AI to recommend content based on user viewing patterns, significantly improving customer retention and satisfaction. A 2024 study by Deloitte highlights that companies using AI for predictive analytics are 1.5 times more likely to retain customers compared to those using traditional approaches.
Efficiency through automation: Scaling marketing efforts
While personalisation and predictive analytics are driving enhanced customer experiences, AI’s power in automating routine marketing tasks is equally transformative. AI tools are increasingly being used to automate processes like email marketing, social media management, and even ad buying, allowing brands to operate more efficiently.
One of the biggest benefits of AI-driven automation is that it enables digital marketing agencies to focus on higher-value tasks such as strategy, content creation, and relationship building. For instance, AI can optimise email marketing campaigns by determining the best time to send emails, selecting relevant content, and analysing recipient responses. This kind of automation not only increases engagement but also saves marketers significant time and effort.
AI is also optimizing digital advertising. Through programmatic advertising, AI tools analyze real-time data to adjust bids for ad placements automatically, ensuring that budgets are spent efficiently while reaching the right audiences at the right time. This automated approach to digital marketing can dramatically improve ROI and reduce wasted ad spend.
Conclusion
AI is fundamentally transforming marketing, enabling brands to deliver more personalised, predictive, and efficient customer experiences. As AI continues to evolve, its role in marketing will only grow, making it essential for brands to adopt these technologies to stay competitive. The future of marketing lies in embracing AI-driven strategies that not only enhance customer experiences but also streamline operations, offering a significant advantage in an increasingly complex digital landscape. The future is clear: AI is not just enhancing marketing—it’s revolutionising it.
This article has been authored by VUI Live co-founder and business head Akash Manchanda
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
