Business leaders are particularly focused on innovative ways to enhance customer experience (CX) through generative AI (GenAI) technology while balancing the need for return on their investment, according to a newly released survey.

Insights from a survey by research firm Everest Group, supported by digital, customer experience provider TELUS International, highlighted several trends across industries.

Nearly half (47 percent) of the surveyed CX leaders across banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), telco and media, healthcare, retail and travel industries said that non-voice customer support channels will be a key deployment area for GenAI in the next six to 12 months.

Businesses have been hesitant to move their GenAI applications from pilot to production, the survey found.

Data security and privacy, exposure risks and regulatory compliance are among the top worries, along with accuracy, fairness and bias. Each of these challenges carry ethical, legal and reputational risks. To help mitigate these issues, 76 percent are considering outsourcing their GenAI development to specialist third-party firms.

“Enterprises are confronting a trust gap around generative AI. That is why so many projects are getting stuck in the pilot stage and are not moving to production,” said Tobias Dengel, president of WillowTree, a TELUS International Company.

Companies across various sectors are recognizing the value of this approach to GenAI, particularly those in highly regulated industries.

“For many buyers of AI technology, the solutions are like a ‘black box’—a place where decisions are made out of sight,” said Dengel. “This means buyers really have to trust their solution builders. Choosing a partner with technical expertise is critical, but it’s just the starting point when you consider how complex the environment is in which we operate. To truly succeed as a market front runner, and to do so on a sustainable basis, that expertise needs to be combined with a commitment to responsible deployment.”