VUX World

What happens when AI agents spread across your business, each using different models, tools and data?I spoke with Anirudh (Ani) Narayan, co-founder and CGO of Lyzr AI, about the work involved in taking agents into everyday operations. We discuss where businesses are using them, how teams prioritise ideas and why some workflows need custom integration around legacy systems.Ani describes Lyzr’s approach to agent infrastructure and observability, including Opencontroller, the control plane for AI agents. We also explore an insurance company case study that keeps a human at the front of a sensitive customer journey while using AI behind the scenes.That leads into a practical discussion about when existing tools are enough and when a business needs something purpose-built.Guest: Anirudh (Ani) Narayan, co-founder and CGO, Lyzr AIHost: Kane Simms, VUX AICHAPTERS00:00 Welcome00:46 From an agent builder to enterprise infrastructure02:42 The agent-management challenge04:36 Where businesses are deploying agents07:14 Cost, flexibility and privacy12:02 Consulting, marketing and operational use cases17:19 Educating teams and prioritising ideas19:16 Keeping humans in sensitive customer journeys20:45 Kane’s AI video-editing experiment24:20 When custom agents make sense26:54 Observability and the control plane31:41 What AI providers and customers are getting right37:21 Automating the podcast workflowLINKSLyzr AI: https://www.lyzr.ai/Opencontroller: https://www.lyzr.ai/opencontrollerAni on LinkedIn:   / anirudh-narayan  Customer examples, figures and product observations reflect the speakers’ accounts at the time of recording.Subscribe for conversations about AI, customer experience and the practical work of deploying agents.Follow Kane on LinkedIn:   / kanesimms  Find out more about VUX: https://vux.aiSubscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/kanesimms

What happens to your contact centre when customers have AI agents that can make calls for them?At CCW Europe in Amsterdam, I spoke with Nikola Mrksic, CEO of PolyAI, about personal agents, agent-to-agent communication and the possibility that easier access to automation could create more demand.We discuss authentication, customer context, voice versus text or APIs, and the practical work needed to make these interactions useful.Nikola also explains PolyAI’s approach to self-improving agents through Wren: helping business teams build and change agents, reviewing conversations to propose improvements, and adding greater autonomy as the business context and testing become sufficiently developed.For CX and contact centre leaders, this is a conversation about both the incoming customer channel and the operating model needed to keep improving AI after launch.The discussion includes Nikola’s observations, examples and predictions at the time of recording. His comments on demand growth and future leadership roles are his perspective. References to beta features and future releases reflect their status at the interview.

Show notes
CCW Europe: ⁠⁠https://europe.customercontactweekdigital.com/events-ccweurope⁠⁠
Follow Kane on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://linkedin.com/in/kanesimms⁠⁠⁠
Find out more about VUX: ⁠⁠⁠https://vux.ai

If an AI agent chooses your insurance, what makes you trust the insurer when you need to claim?At CCW Europe in Amsterdam, I spoke with Bogdan Tancic, Director of Customer Experience at Lemonade, about trust, AI and the changing insurance customer journey.Bogdan explains how Lemonade uses AI across onboarding, pricing, underwriting and fraud detection. We discuss how trust is earned through small interactions, why accurate APIs matter when personal agents research products, and what happens after the purchase when a customer needs help.The conversation considers an emerging shift towards personal AI agents. Bogdan separates the potential changes in distribution from the continuing importance of service, reassurance and the human experience of making a claim.In this conversation:00:00 Meet Bogdan and Lemonade00:38 An AI-native approach to insurance01:32 How AI affects customer trust03:52 AI across the insurance journey04:42 Personal agents and insurance buying07:57 How agents could change buying decisions09:44 The human experience after the purchase12:15 Retention, renewals and trustGuest: Bogdan Tancic, Director of Customer Experience, LemonadeHost: Kane Simms, VUX AIRecorded at CCW Europe, Amsterdam, October 5–7, 2026.CCW Europe: https://europe.customercontactweekdig...Follow Kane on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/kanesimms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find out more about VUX: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://vux.ai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.substack.com/pub/kanesimms⁠

Agentic AI is moving from helping employees to serving customers. But getting the technology to work is only part of the job.
At CCW Europe in Amsterdam, I spoke with Michiel Kouijzer, SAFe Product Manager at Essent, about the practical foundations behind customer-facing agentic AI: knowledge management, fast APIs, the experience customers receive, and bringing the organisation along with the change.
We also explore what happens when customers send their own AI agents to businesses. Could personal assistants become a new sales channel? Will they call contact centres, use self-service, or connect directly to business systems?
Michiel shares Essent’s experience with a small home-battery pilot and his perspective on how these customer channels may develop. His comments on future agent behaviour are predictions, rather than established outcomes.

Show notes
CCW Europe: https://europe.customercontactweekdigital.com/events-ccweurope
Follow Kane on LinkedIn: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/kanesimms⁠
Find out more about VUX: ⁠https://vux.ai

Automation Anywhere has agreed to acquire boost.ai. What could that mean for customer experience, personal AI agents and the autonomous enterprise?In this exclusive interview, Kane Simms speaks with Jerry Haywood, CEO of boost.ai, and Ankur Kothari, co-founder and COO of Automation Anywhere, about the proposed combination. They discuss how conversational and voice AI could connect to work across enterprise systems, where people remain involved and what customers need to prepare for.The conversation covers the rationale behind the deal, customer and employee operations, the changing relationship between CX and IT, personal agents, agent-to-agent interactions and the foundations of successful AI adoption. Kane closes with his view on why the combination matters.Acquisition status: the companies announced a definitive agreement on 7 October 2026. Completion is expected in Q4 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
Show notes
Follow Kane on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kanesimms
Find out more about VUX: https://vux.ai
Subscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/kanesimms