Fireside Chat with Steve Pappas, Head of Innovation, eGain and Parna Sarkar-Basu, Founder, B&B Consulting.
AI Community Conference
Nov. 13, 2026, 1:00 PM ET
Microsoft NERD Center
1 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA 02142
A patient waiting for a diagnosis. A traveler stranded at an airport. A customer stuck in a chatbot loop, asking for a human. They’re the moments a business either earns someone’s trust or loses it for good.
In today’s experience economy, people judge organizations by how they respond when the stakes are the highest. Yes, AI can answer questions in seconds. But can it recognize frustration, restore trust or know when someone needs more than an answer?
Steve Pappas will share real life examples of innovation in CX as well as explore when AI should lead, where human judgment remains essential and how the two can work together to boost customer, employee and patient experiences.
As we shape the horizons of intelligence, the real opportunity is not simply to automate more interactions. It is to make every experience smarter, better and more human.