Observed Signal · Feb 18, 2026 · Other · Source: CMSWire · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
AI and the Rise of Empowered Agents in Customer Service
In this CMSWire podcast episode, host Dom Nicastro discusses the integration of AI in customer service with three industry leaders: Barry Cooper (President of NICE's CX Division), Tom Laird (CEO of Expivia), and Keith Farley (SVP of Individual Voluntary Benefits at Aflac). Key takeaways include AI enhancing real-time decision-making for agents, automating routine tasks to free up agents for complex interactions, improving agent and customer experiences through predictive analytics, and envisioning a future where agents oversee AI bots. Cooper highlights NICE's AI adoption across 1,500+ customers and its growth to nearly $3 billion. Farley emphasizes Aflac's focus on ease and claims automation, with over 55% of claims automated. Laird sees contact center agents evolving into high-value employees as AI handles routine tasks.
Provides strategic insights into AI adoption in contact centers, but no major announcements or industry-shifting events.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- NICE has over 1,500 customers using its AI solutions across its CX platform.
- Barry Cooper states NICE's revenue has grown from $0.5 billion to nearly $3 billion.
- Aflac has automated over 55% of its claims processing using AI.
- Tom Laird expects contact center agents to become high-value employees as AI takes over routine tasks.
- NICE launched its Enlighten AI models in 2019-2020.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mapped“Barry Cooper is president of NICE's CX Division. The company launched Enlighten and has 1,500+ AI customers....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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6-K Financial Filing Analysis for NICE (2026-10-07)
NICE Ltd. filed a Form 6-K with the SEC for September 2026, incorporating three commercial and corporate press releases as exhibits. The announcements highlight customer adoption of its AI and customer experience solutions, including German health insurer AOK PLUS deploying NICE's Unified CX AI Platform and Merlin Entertainments implementing NICE CXone globally. Additionally, NICE reported its recognition by Fast Company as a 2026 Best Workplace for Innovators in the Cybersecurity & Enterprise category.
Managing humans and AI agents as one workforce: A smarter path to CX growth
New blog post by Dana Shalev (October 1, 2026) discusses orchestrating human and AI agents as one workforce for CX growth. Also new posts on personal AI agents and CX architecture readiness.
NiCE Named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Agentic Contact Center-as-a-Service Platforms
NiCE has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Agentic Contact Center-as-a-Service Platforms, and also recognized as a 2026 Best Workplace for Innovators by Fast Company.
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