Hype & Reality: charting the AI roadmap, with CEO and co-founder of OneReach.ai, Robb Wilson

Robb Wilson is a pioneer at the intersection of user experience design and artificial intelligence and one of the foremost voices on the future of AI agent orchestration. As the CEO and co-founder of OneReach.ai, Robb has guided innovation at global enterprises and was tapped by Apple to help launch the original iPad.

We invited Robb to join the Celonis Face Value series to cover the ways AI is reshaping business today, and to give a deeper understanding of the technologies and strategies that can catapult your business ahead of your competitors.

• Watch on-demand: Hype & Reality: charting the AI roadmap, with CEO and co-founder of OneReach.ai, Robb Wilson

Rethinking Business Data and Finding New Value

“The ability to mine data right now is probably, unfortunately, the boring thing we need to chase,” says Robb Wilson.

Robb believes immense value lies in non-traditional data sources — companies just need to mine it. He notes that a week’s worth of chat data could deliver more useful information about a company than a year’s worth of traditional data. Yet most companies have yet to tap in, especially as an important step toward developing AI agents that understand how their business works.

Businesses that move toward an AI-first approach — seamless interactions between AI solutions and humans — will gain the capability for advanced simulation beyond agents, Robb says. By simulating real-world interactions with mission critical applications, teams can create robust feedback loops that provide previously unattainable insights.

"Whether it's designing new materials or engineering things before you put them into the world, that's a huge piece of what's next," Wilson says.

This predictive power extends to optimizing various business processes, enabling businesses to anticipate results, and make well-informed decisions before publicly doing so. In doing so, teams can expect to significantly reduce errors and boost overall efficiency, ultimately enhancing customer experience and interactions.

Enhancing the Customer Experience with Hyperautomation

Hyperautomation — combining and automating as many processes as possible — will play a crucial role in improved customer experiences, Robb says. While cost savings are often the initial driver for automation today, Wilson believes its true value lies in delivering exceptional customer interactions.

By leveraging AI, automated customer service can provide real-time solutions and personalized responses, something Wilson calls "better-than-human-experiences (BhX)." These experiences surpass traditional systems, making customers feel valued and satisfied.

"Just like self-driving cars, we have to have a higher standard for machines than ourselves. If you want people to embrace and accept the use of machines, you're going to have to give them something more than your cost savings that probably didn't end up in a lower cost for them," Wilson says.

Digital Twins and AI: The Future of Business Prediction

While hyperautomation is one outcome on the horizon, and predictive simulation another, there’s also a version of the future where AI agents are increasingly integrated into decision-making. According to Robb, AI agents that take action on the behalf of business leaders will use digital twins and high-fidelity data to predict outcomes and optimize strategies. This deeper AI integration will be a key driver of innovation and growth.

"High-fidelity digital twins over time will provide companies with the best means for prediction, and the company that can predict the best, will make the best choices,” Wilson says. "AI agents cannot operate at scale without a digital twin.”

These digital twins are created when the process mining Robb mentioned is augmented with business context. This living digital twin is capable of providing insight into the relationships between data points — rather than simple canonical knowledge — creating a common language that’s crucial for understanding and improving how your business runs.

Digital twins must be fed business context to be useful. Without this contextual understanding, AI, much like people who lack proper context, will make mistakes.

The Looming Challenge: Customer Service in an AI-Driven World

Wilson believes the current state of AI adoption pales in comparison to what's on the horizon and that companies are unprepared for the next wave of AI interaction driven by a new generation of users.

He anticipates a future where individuals will deploy personal AIs to manage various aspects of their lives, such as transferring credit card balances, securing introductory offers, redeeming coupons, disputing bills, and even contesting parking tickets.

This widespread use of personal AI agents could lead to a scenario where a single person has ten subscription-based AIs actively seeking deals on their behalf while they relax by the pool.

“Whenever it happens, this whole game is going to shift from offense to defense. And companies won’t have enough people to handle this.”

Call centers and inboxes will be overwhelmed with AI-driven interactions, and companies will likely lack the human resources to manage the influx.

“I'm not looking forward to that day, but I'm surprised it's not here yet.”