Google Cloud's Duncan Lennox on Transforming Customer Experience with Applied AI | Cloud Wars Live

At Google Cloud Next 2025, Google Cloud Vice President of Applied AI Duncan Lennox sits down with Bob Evans in part three of our series "Google Cloud and the AI Revolution." They discuss how Google Cloud is redefining enterprise applications through purpose-built AI agents, the shift from incremental to transformational innovation, and how businesses can harness agentic AI to deliver seamless, end-to-end customer experiences at scale.Google Cloud’s Agentic RevolutionThe Big Themes:Beyond Infrastructure to Applied AI: Historically, Google Cloud was associated with infrastructure, data analytics, databases, and backend technologies. However, it's now undergoing a transformation, stepping boldly into the realm of applied AI. Rather than just competing with established players in enterprise applications (like ERP, HCM, or CRM), Google Cloud is innovating at a more foundational level by creating entirely new types of agents and applications.The Customer Engagement Suite, A CRM Rethink: Google Cloud’s Customer Engagement Suite isn’t just an upgrade to traditional contact center software — it’s a full reimagining of how businesses engage with customers. Historically, customer service was seen as a cost center: something to be optimized for efficiency and minimized wherever possible. Google Cloud flips that on its head. With the Customer Engagement Suite, the focus shifts toward creating differentiated, high-quality customer experiences that build brand loyalty, satisfaction, and even new revenue streams.Best Adoption Practices: Lennox discusses several best practices for companies looking to succeed with applied AI. First, start somewhere tangible — don't try to "boil the ocean." Select a high-visibility area where AI can solve real problems and produce measurable results. Second, tie your efforts directly to business outcomes, such as customer experience improvements, revenue growth, or operational savings. Third, choose a strategic partner capable of evolving with you as the technology advances.The Big Quote: "Experimentation is great, of course, but what I see more and more as I talk to C-level executives is they now want to be able to deliver ROI, and you have to make some bets. You've got to choose some areas. For us in applied AI, Customer Engagement Suite has been a great one, because it's a problem that C-level execs can understand."Learn More:Check out details about Customer Engagement Suite, and follow Duncan Lennox on LinkedIn. Visit Cloud Wars for more.