Skip to content
All writing

February 8, 2026

Why I’m Pivoting This Newsletter: Human-Centered and Technology-Aided Design

Over the past three years, customer expectations have shifted faster than most organizations can adapt. AI has moved from the margins to the core of experience delivery, and leaders are trying to balance automation, personalization, efficiency, and empathy all at once.

Welcome to a new chapter of this newsletter. Over the past three years, customer expectations have shifted faster than most organizations can adapt. AI has moved from the margins to the core of experience delivery, and leaders are trying to balance automation, personalization, efficiency, and empathy all at once. My work across industries (from financial services and hospitality, to construction, healthcare, and technology) shows a consistent pattern: The best organizations are becoming both more human-centered AND more technology-aided. They use AI to remove friction, and they invest in people to elevate connection. They automate tasks, and they amplify emotional intelligence. They design systems for scale, and they show up personally when it matters most. This newsletter will now focus on that intersection. Each week, I’ll explore: How AI is shaping customer and employee expectations How leaders balance personalization and efficiency How emotional loyalty is formed in a digital world How to build organizations that care deeply AND operate intelligently Thank you for taking this journey with me. We’re building the future of leadership and experience design together. 👇 Stay Connected — Weekly Insights + Daily CX/AI Signals Click Subscribe at the top of this page to receive these weekly insights. To get my Daily CX/AI news signals, follow me here on LinkedIn — I post a quick, curated update every day. Short. Practical. Timely.

Get Me a Person by Joseph Michelli — book cover
New book

Get Me a Person

Winning Human Connection and Loyalty in the Age of AI. On sale December 8 — signed, personalized copies are available now.

Pre-order the book
Joseph Michelli portrait
Written by

Joseph Michelli

Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., is a Certified Speaking Professional and #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books are drawn from his work inside Starbucks, The Ritz-Carlton, Mercedes-Benz, Airbnb, and Zappos. His new book, Get Me a Person, releases December 8. Signed, personalized copies available now. He helps leadership teams design human-centered, technology-aided experiences that build loyalty and referrals. Start a conversation about your team.

More about Joseph
Newsletter

Get the next piece in your inbox.

New writing every week or two. No filler. Unsubscribe anytime.