Happy Friday! ‘This week in CX’ brings you the latest roundup of industry news.
This week, we’ve been exploring the key drivers behind the latest CX strategies and examining the role of AI in healthcare and retail.
We’re also discussing new updates from LinkedIn, Financial Times and Apple.
Key news
- Artificial intelligence engineer is one of the top titles on this year’s LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise list – a data-backed ranking of the fastest-growing jobs in Europe over the past three years. As AI continues to disrupt the labour market and hiring landscape, the list highlights areas of opportunity and sustainable growth in today’s world of work. There are roles signalling the dominance of artificial intelligence (AI engineer), as well as a rebound of jobs in travel (travel consultant, travel advisor) and a surge in frontline jobs (general practitioner, home health aide).
- Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece have overtaken Europe’s once-thriving countries including Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium in terms of economic progress. “In a stark reversal of fortune”, the four southern nations which were hit hardest by the 2009-2014 debt crisis, have seen their GDP grow by 1.3% per year since 2020, reports the Financial Times. In contrast, the output of Europe’s biggest economy Germany has been stagnating since the pandemic and even contracting for the past two years. Spain stands out with an estimated GDP growth of 3% for 2024, almost four times higher than the eurozone average of 0.8%. Industrial electricity costs in the country are 40% below the EU average, due to investment in wind and solar parks, lower dependence on Russian energy sources and a dominance of the service sector – including booming tourism – as opposed to manufacturing.
- Apple pushed back against a shareholder proposal aiming to abolish the company’s diversity initiatives, calling it an inappropriate attempt “to micromanage the company’s programs and policies.” Apple’s board defended its inclusion policies in a proxy filing ahead of its annual shareholder conference, noting that it has a “well-established compliance program” to guard against any potential legal challenges. The move comes as fellow tech giants Meta and Amazon scale back their own DEI programs.
CXM news stories
Here’s the full news stories that CXM have reported on in the past week. Learn all about the latest news from different industries, such as retail and healthcare, as well as the role of gamification and AI in CX strategies.
By 2027, 40% of utilities will utilise AI operators
By 2027, 40% of power and utility companies will have implemented AI-driven operators in their control rooms to reduce human error and enhance operational efficiency. However, according to Gartner, this shift will also introduce heightened cyber-physical security risks that must be carefully managed.
The survey highlights that 94% of power and utility CIOs intend to boost their AI investments in 2025, with an average budget increase of 38.3%.
“AI technology is poised to transform the power and utilities sector. Human decision-making is critical, but it is also a significant factor in industrial accidents. AI-driven operations offer a compelling solution, performing tasks with repeatability, precision, and without bias when effectively governed,” said Jo-Ann Clynch, senior director analyst at Gartner.
The power and utilities sector is transforming, moving away from the traditional model of utility-owned assets. This shift has happened due to advancements in technology and changing customer expectations. The future landscape will see greater decentralisation facilitated by distributed energy resources like solar panels and storage.
Addressing security challenges
The deployment of AI-driven operators in control rooms offers numerous benefits. Some of them include reduced human error, enhanced real-time data processing, predictive maintenance, and automated anomaly detection.
Nevertheless, this evolution exposes systems to new cyber-physical security vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is necessary to increase investments in sophisticated security protocols and adhere to evolving regulatory standards.
In addition, to navigate the transition to AI-enhanced operations and fully capitalise on AI-driven decision intelligence, Gartner recommends that power and utility CIOs concentrate on boosting operational efficiency, fortifying cyber-physical security, and promoting human-AI collaboration.