What if I told you that using AI in your business could actually make you more human!

I know that sounds backwards, but hear me out. Yes, AI is cold, mechanical, and robotic. When people think about brands adopting AI, they picture faceless chatbots or endless phone menus that frustrate, rather than help.

Here’s the irony: done right, AI has the power to strip away the busy work, the mechanical transactions, and even the awkward human moments customers don’t want. That way, the humanity behind your brand can show up where it matters most.

AI doesn’t erase the human touch; it creates more space for it to grow.

The Broken Normal

We’ve all done it.

As you walk into a store, a salesperson approaches with a smile, and before they can even finish their sentence, you say it: “I’m just looking.”

But you know it, they know it, everyone knows it. You aren’t just looking! You are on a mission to answer questions, evaluate options, or get a feel for what you really want. You might like to know if it will be on sale soon, or how it compares to the competitor’s version, but as soon as a human appears, you shut down. Not because you didn’t want help, but because you didn’t like the pressure that comes with it.

Now flip the scenario. You’ve placed an online order for something important, like a birthday gift for your niece. The delivery date looks like it’s going to be tight. You need reassurance. You’d love for someone to say, “Don’t worry, it will be there before the party.” But instead of a human, you get a generic tracking page that can’t provide the answers to the real question that you have: “Will this package be in my hands before the party, so I don’t disappoint someone that I love?”

This is the paradox we live in:

• In sales, we push humans to customers who want space

• In support, we push AI to customers who want empathy

It’s all backwards.

The Human Touch

Now think about the moments when you’ve needed help and didn’t just want an answer, you wanted someone to get it.

Like when your internet goes out in the middle of a big presentation. Or when a package arrived damaged and you are scrambling for a replacement. In those moments, you weren’t just after a technical fix. You wanted empathy. You wanted a person to say, “I understand why this matters to you, and it matters to me too.”

That’s the human touch AI cannot replicate. It can say, “I am sorry for the inconvenience.” But it doesn’t actually care. It can suggest possible solutions that align with the policies and procedures it has been preprogrammed with, but it will never know what it feels like to be in your shoes at that moment.

This is where humanity shines. And if your brand is serious about building loyalty, these are the moments where you need people, not programs or scripts.

Where Does AI Belong?

If humans are the ones who build trust, empathy, and belonging, then what is the role of AI in your brand?

The answer: Any place where your customers want control, speed, or privacy.

Think about it:

• You’re at the grocery store, buying something personal or embarrassing. Do you want to face a human as they scan your Preparation H? Or do you waddle over to self-checkout, praying you don’t run into anyone from church?

• You are shopping online at midnight, trying to decide on three separate products. Do you want to wait till you get to work in the morning so you can call during business hours to talk with a sales rep about the products, or would you prefer an AI chatbot that knows the details about all the products in the lineup and can offer helpful suggestions at any hour, day, or night?

• You’re booking a flight for a business trip to Boise, Idaho, and want the best deal for that Friday. Would you prefer to speak with an attendant, wait on hold while they look up your information, and then be upsold on the luxury business package, or would you rather have an algorithm sort flights by price for your desired date and time?

In each case, AI makes the experience smoother by removing the friction of social judgment, time constraints, or pressure.

This is where AI shines.

• Instantly answering FAQs

• Providing product recommendations based on your data, not bias.

• Streamlining transactions like booking online, setting appointments, or providing automated quotes.

• Customizing Experiences that empower customers to make quick decisions based on their own preferences and activity.

These are not moments where people want human warmth. These are moments where people want control.

Sales Vs. Support: Brands that Get It Right

One of the biggest mistakes that brands make is applying AI where it doesn’t belong.

Here’s the simple truth:

• Sales = AI-first, then Human Touch

• Support = Human First, then AI automated processes

Why should you use AI first in sales?

Because in sales, customers want to explore without pressure. They want safety and anonymity. They don’t want to risk embarrassment, judgment, or manipulation. AI gives them the perfect sandbox: a place to research, compare, and ask “dumb” questions with zero social consequence.

That is why tools like AI-powered product finders, recommendation engines, and chatbots are incredibly effective. They make customers feel empowered and in control. And when they are ready, they can invite a human into the conversation to build trust and close the deal.

But in support, the situation flips. Customers reach out because something went wrong. Emotions are high. They want to be heard, validated, and respected. This is where AI almost always fails, because empathy can not be faked.

Sure, AI can help with low-level stuff: Where’s my order? Can I reset my password? But when your brand’s trust is on the line, only a human can rebuild it.

The Practical Applications

How do brands actually implement this balance of human touch and AI automation?

Here are a few practical strategies:

Give customers more control in the sales process.

• Implement AI-driven recommendation engines that act like a personal shopper.

• Use conversational AI for product discovery, where customers can ask questions anonymously.

• Build AI-powered comparison tools that let customers evaluate options side by sid.e

Example: A shoe company uses AI to help customers input their lifestyle, preferences, and purpose to instantly receive personalized recommendations of products in stock and in their size without having to ask a salesperson.

Maximize Human Touch in Support

• Train support reps to know when to step in and override AI scripts

• Empower your team to make exceptions and deliver personalized solutions

• Free your humans from repetitive tasks like running reports and documentation so they can focus on high-emotion moments.

Example: An airline lets AI handle rebooking during routine delays, but when a customer is stranded overnight with kids, a human agent steps in to let them know they are safe, cared about, and will be taken care of.

Use AI as a Margin-Creator

• Automate repetitive workflows: scheduling, follow-ups, FAQs

• Use AI analytics to surface insights, so humans can spend less time sifting through data.

• Allow AI to draft first versions of content, leaving humans to refine the tone and authenticity.

Example: A business owner might use AI to monitor support call transcripts and generate a report of common complaints or issues, as well as draft email follow-ups to be sent to customers after the problems have been resolved.

Create AI Policies That Protect Humanity

• Define clearly where AI is allowed and where human touch is required.

• Communicate transparently with customers when they’re interacting with AI.

• Measure not just efficiency, but customer satisfaction and emotional connection.

Example: A healthcare brand makes it clear, “Our AI assistant can answer questions about billing and company information, but clients with a personal health concern will always be routed to a healthcare professional.”

The Bigger Vision

AI is not the enemy of humanity. It’s a tool, a powerful one, that can take the weight of mechanical tasks off our shoulders and hand us back the time, space, and energy to be fully human where it matters most.

Imagine a world where:

• Customers never feel pressured in sales because AI provides them the freedom and control to explore the options.

• Customers never feel abandoned in support because humans have been freed up to prioritize listening, practice empathy, and connect with them on a personal level.

• Employees spend less time drowning in busy work and more time mentoring, caring, and building relationships that elevate the brand.

That is not a cold, robotic future. That is a genuinely human future.

The brands that will win in the AI era are not the ones that automate everything, nor the ones that resist AI entirely.

The brands that rise to the top are the ones that get the balance right and prioritize real human interaction:

• AI for control, convenience, and speed.

• Humans for trust, empathy, and belonging

AI doesn’t have to make your brand less human. It can provide you with the margin to become more human than ever before.