1 00:00:00,173 --> 00:00:04,663 Alex: In 2025, AI isn't just influencing consumer behavior, it's 2 00:00:04,663 --> 00:00:06,673 becoming an extension of who we are. 3 00:00:06,973 --> 00:00:10,563 From coffee machines that sync with smart pillows to humanoid robots 4 00:00:10,563 --> 00:00:15,153 in our homes, businesses now face a new challenge: leveraging this hyper 5 00:00:15,153 --> 00:00:20,523 personalized tech while navigating privacy concerns and staying human at the core. 6 00:00:20,823 --> 00:00:25,333 How do you strike the perfect balance between automation and authenticity? 7 00:00:25,633 --> 00:00:29,503 My name is Alexandre Nevski and this is Innovation Tales. 8 00:00:44,399 --> 00:00:47,819 AI is changing the game for businesses, shaping how people shop, 9 00:00:47,939 --> 00:00:50,659 interact, and even feel about brands. 10 00:00:50,959 --> 00:00:54,559 If we believe the hype, AI is about to do everything from making your morning 11 00:00:54,559 --> 00:00:57,819 coffee to predicting the weather for your vacation 10 years from now. 12 00:00:58,119 --> 00:01:01,459 But before we hand over the keys to the robots, there's one question we 13 00:01:01,459 --> 00:01:06,129 need to ask: how do you use AI to personalize experiences while staying 14 00:01:06,129 --> 00:01:08,249 authentic and respecting privacy? 15 00:01:08,549 --> 00:01:10,360 That's where Shahar Boyayan comes in. 16 00:01:10,780 --> 00:01:14,289 Shahar is a leading voice in AI and consumer behavior. 17 00:01:14,679 --> 00:01:18,440 Known for helping businesses make sense of this fast changing world. 18 00:01:18,740 --> 00:01:22,690 Her groundbreaking report, "AI-driven consumer trends and business 19 00:01:22,690 --> 00:01:27,540 applications: navigating the near future of commerce and the eight laws 20 00:01:27,579 --> 00:01:32,300 of irresistibility," is packed with practical insights that show companies 21 00:01:32,460 --> 00:01:37,289 how to use AI effectively without turning their customers into data points. 22 00:01:37,290 --> 00:01:41,190 Without further ado, here's my conversation with Shahar Boyayan. 23 00:01:41,490 --> 00:01:42,730 Shahar, welcome to the show. 24 00:01:43,149 --> 00:01:44,449 Shahar: I'm so glad to be here. 25 00:01:44,799 --> 00:01:46,079 Alex: Well, thanks for taking the time. 26 00:01:46,539 --> 00:01:50,579 Now, as a business consultant, you've studied psychology and consumer 27 00:01:50,579 --> 00:01:56,039 behavior, and you've published a report entitled AI Consumer Trends for 2025. 28 00:01:56,619 --> 00:01:57,479 So let's start there. 29 00:01:57,789 --> 00:02:01,369 How is artificial intelligence shaping consumer behavior at the moment? 30 00:02:01,669 --> 00:02:04,679 Shahar: It's actually becoming an extension of ourselves. 31 00:02:04,699 --> 00:02:06,629 That's really what's happening. 32 00:02:06,629 --> 00:02:11,109 Many times we don't even have, we are not even conscious that is happening, 33 00:02:11,149 --> 00:02:16,359 but we are getting so accustomed to the devices and what they do for us, that now 34 00:02:16,359 --> 00:02:18,439 it's becoming an extension of ourselves. 35 00:02:18,439 --> 00:02:23,369 And the fact that I like this topic is because I think we are about 36 00:02:23,399 --> 00:02:28,099 this year and the next year to face the biggest change in behavior that 37 00:02:28,099 --> 00:02:30,279 we have seen since the pandemic. 38 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:34,879 But this one is bigger and it's going to go deeper into our lives, right? 39 00:02:34,879 --> 00:02:37,249 Because we already have devices in our room. 40 00:02:37,249 --> 00:02:38,809 You're using AI all the time. 41 00:02:38,809 --> 00:02:41,289 We have watches, smartwatches, smart glasses. 42 00:02:41,659 --> 00:02:47,079 We are starting to be monitored by all these AI components, right? 43 00:02:47,119 --> 00:02:49,159 And this will cause changes in behavior. 44 00:02:49,439 --> 00:02:53,279 And there's a very exciting part about that because it creates a lot 45 00:02:53,279 --> 00:02:55,469 of possibilities for businesses. 46 00:02:55,829 --> 00:02:59,759 And at the same time, there are some few things that we need to 47 00:02:59,769 --> 00:03:04,609 be concerned about so we can cater this to our best interest, right? 48 00:03:04,709 --> 00:03:06,299 And not the machine's best interest. 49 00:03:06,599 --> 00:03:13,419 Alex: So is the behavior changes that you see related to the ability of the service 50 00:03:13,419 --> 00:03:20,349 providers to deliver experiences that are enhanced by artificial intelligence. 51 00:03:20,349 --> 00:03:28,039 And consumers therefore being a little bit, um, emotionally ambiguous about this. 52 00:03:28,439 --> 00:03:32,519 Or are we also talking about the consumers themselves somehow 53 00:03:32,539 --> 00:03:34,269 also using AI tools on their end? 54 00:03:34,569 --> 00:03:35,329 Shahar: I think both. 55 00:03:35,409 --> 00:03:38,729 For the businesses, it does offer a lot of possibilities, right? 56 00:03:38,729 --> 00:03:42,259 Because with what we have right now, that is not even what we are 57 00:03:42,259 --> 00:03:46,209 going to have a month from now, for example, with the humanoid robots 58 00:03:46,209 --> 00:03:50,219 in our houses, we are already being monitored by a lot of devices. 59 00:03:50,219 --> 00:03:55,469 Like my daughter wears a smartwatch that tells her when she's stressed, right? 60 00:03:55,469 --> 00:03:57,599 So it's in every single level. 61 00:03:57,599 --> 00:03:59,579 It's not only how many steps we make a day. 62 00:03:59,959 --> 00:04:05,445 So in a very short period of time we might be waking up and the pillow will tell the 63 00:04:05,455 --> 00:04:07,275 coffee machine to start making coffee. 64 00:04:07,495 --> 00:04:12,015 I go brush my teeth and my toothbrush will tell me that I need to go to the dentist. 65 00:04:12,305 --> 00:04:17,045 Of course, all these, all these things also allows businesses to 66 00:04:17,175 --> 00:04:19,285 improve the experience that we have. 67 00:04:19,585 --> 00:04:25,635 Simple thing, for example, a hairdresser that knows exactly how I like my hair 68 00:04:25,645 --> 00:04:29,745 and when it is time to get in touch with me and they will be able to do 69 00:04:29,755 --> 00:04:34,748 also to a multi channel of devices out there or creating apps for this. 70 00:04:34,848 --> 00:04:40,398 As we get super comfortable with AI, which is still a process, because, you know, 71 00:04:40,398 --> 00:04:43,718 when we talk about AI, we are talking about, oh, this is old news, right? 72 00:04:43,738 --> 00:04:45,318 We've been dealing with AI for years. 73 00:04:45,728 --> 00:04:49,978 But for the end consumer, this is, this, the now is when they 74 00:04:49,978 --> 00:04:51,398 are getting comfortable with. 75 00:04:51,798 --> 00:04:56,018 And it is unbelievable the amount of business owners, for example, that I talk 76 00:04:56,038 --> 00:04:59,248 to, that have not even tried ChatGPT yet. 77 00:04:59,643 --> 00:05:02,973 When some of us cannot even, you know, I can't stand listening 78 00:05:02,973 --> 00:05:06,253 about ChatGPT anymore, but they still haven't tried that. 79 00:05:06,253 --> 00:05:10,483 So it is a process to all of us and many of us, we have concerns. 80 00:05:10,483 --> 00:05:13,903 So we try not to use, or we think we don't use, but then we 81 00:05:13,903 --> 00:05:18,113 go to Netflix and we accept the recommendations that he does for us. 82 00:05:18,123 --> 00:05:20,153 So we are using it anyway, right? 83 00:05:20,563 --> 00:05:25,886 But as a business owner can create apps and options for the person 84 00:05:25,886 --> 00:05:28,571 to have a better experience. 85 00:05:28,909 --> 00:05:35,136 With all this incorporation of AI and our current lifestyle that we are being 86 00:05:35,176 --> 00:05:37,656 isolated more and more inside the home. 87 00:05:37,956 --> 00:05:42,796 We had a trend of cocooning, which is a term by Faith Popcorn that is a futurist. 88 00:05:43,096 --> 00:05:46,286 We already had that trend coming for years. 89 00:05:46,316 --> 00:05:51,736 But when the pandemic started, we actually got used to being inside the home and we 90 00:05:51,736 --> 00:05:54,036 start catering the home with ourselves. 91 00:05:54,196 --> 00:05:58,116 what's happening right now is that we, with AI, I can have the 92 00:05:58,116 --> 00:06:00,356 home exactly as I want, right? 93 00:06:00,396 --> 00:06:02,976 I clap my hands, the lights go up, the lights go down. 94 00:06:03,256 --> 00:06:04,426 I choose the music. 95 00:06:04,426 --> 00:06:07,556 I choose all the devices that are going to interact with me 96 00:06:07,966 --> 00:06:09,946 and give me advice as well. 97 00:06:10,176 --> 00:06:13,126 So being home became a very comfortable thing. 98 00:06:13,426 --> 00:06:16,986 And of course, if you live in places like the United States, 99 00:06:16,986 --> 00:06:20,406 it's even a safer place than any other place to be inside the house. 100 00:06:20,786 --> 00:06:23,096 But this has isolated us a lot. 101 00:06:23,496 --> 00:06:26,806 And we are seeing, even with the younger generations, that the 102 00:06:26,806 --> 00:06:28,746 social part is becoming an issue. 103 00:06:29,017 --> 00:06:33,276 It's becoming harder and harder for us to interact with other human beings. 104 00:06:33,326 --> 00:06:37,086 We want things, well, because we are carrying everything for ourselves. 105 00:06:37,376 --> 00:06:39,336 We expect the same when we go out. 106 00:06:39,376 --> 00:06:41,871 And then it's a different ball game out there. 107 00:06:42,291 --> 00:06:48,051 So we see issues in the socialization, but what we all expect is that everything 108 00:06:48,051 --> 00:06:52,581 is catered to us, which leads to the trend of hyper personalization. 109 00:06:52,921 --> 00:06:54,381 I want everything to be about me. 110 00:06:54,681 --> 00:07:00,421 I also want that because we, as a society, we feel very lonely. 111 00:07:00,611 --> 00:07:06,001 One in every five Americans feel extremely lonely, and one in every three 112 00:07:06,001 --> 00:07:08,901 Americans think they have a real friend. 113 00:07:09,201 --> 00:07:11,831 So that's how lonely we are right now. 114 00:07:12,131 --> 00:07:16,341 So when I go and interact with the business, I want to be seen. 115 00:07:16,631 --> 00:07:17,871 I don't want to be invisible. 116 00:07:18,181 --> 00:07:23,271 I want them to show they care, and I want them to cater specifically to my needs. 117 00:07:23,571 --> 00:07:26,141 And this is actually not that difficult to do. 118 00:07:26,441 --> 00:07:30,681 For example, in a restaurant, for example, I can have, I can go inside the 119 00:07:30,681 --> 00:07:35,791 restaurant, and an AI or even the menu can tell me, Hey, you had fish last time. 120 00:07:35,951 --> 00:07:37,621 Why don't you try our steak? 121 00:07:37,631 --> 00:07:41,021 It's with the same sauce, but with a different twist. 122 00:07:41,371 --> 00:07:44,241 The person would say, wow, they know what I ate last time, right? 123 00:07:44,451 --> 00:07:45,571 I'm special here. 124 00:07:45,841 --> 00:07:49,481 So there are many ways for us to create that hyper personalization 125 00:07:49,481 --> 00:07:54,231 that doesn't require huge investments, in AI devices and is already 126 00:07:54,241 --> 00:07:55,951 being done in some cases, right? 127 00:07:56,251 --> 00:08:00,421 The other thing that I can provide this hyper personalization is understanding 128 00:08:00,431 --> 00:08:02,931 my customers beliefs and principles. 129 00:08:03,231 --> 00:08:07,511 Because, for example, especially if I'm dealing with a younger generation 130 00:08:07,511 --> 00:08:11,821 that is more socially conscious, for example, than the baby boomers, they 131 00:08:11,821 --> 00:08:17,441 expect to know if you source your food, for example, locally, if you care 132 00:08:17,441 --> 00:08:21,891 about the environment, and you need to figure ways of telling them that. 133 00:08:22,051 --> 00:08:26,631 So back to the restaurant thing, I can open the menu and when I choose 134 00:08:26,661 --> 00:08:32,041 the lasagna, for example, it will show me a small video of how that 135 00:08:32,041 --> 00:08:36,961 is prepared in the kitchen or how is the components of that lasagna, how 136 00:08:36,961 --> 00:08:38,411 it's outsourced in the community. 137 00:08:38,631 --> 00:08:42,551 So it can show me that side in an almost subliminal way. 138 00:08:42,551 --> 00:08:46,241 I don't need to be talking about that all the time, but it's showing, 139 00:08:46,241 --> 00:08:48,181 okay, I care about what you care. 140 00:08:48,481 --> 00:08:53,611 And I take care of the, our environment, our society, as you, you want to be 141 00:08:53,611 --> 00:08:55,221 taken care of by a business owner. 142 00:08:55,581 --> 00:08:59,171 This is very important because the perception of the consumer related 143 00:08:59,171 --> 00:09:01,821 to companies is not that good, right? 144 00:09:01,821 --> 00:09:04,241 I think we are in a all time low. 145 00:09:04,671 --> 00:09:05,761 it's unbelievable. 146 00:09:05,931 --> 00:09:09,426 Even the social media, that all the time when you try to, promote the 147 00:09:09,426 --> 00:09:14,186 brand, you're not going to get much traction because brands usually are not 148 00:09:14,196 --> 00:09:16,806 very transparent and raw and unique. 149 00:09:16,826 --> 00:09:19,126 And that's what the consumer is looking for. 150 00:09:19,426 --> 00:09:23,216 Alex: And what do you think , going back to the example, let's say with the 151 00:09:23,216 --> 00:09:28,963 restaurant, on the one hand I can see how providing recommendations on the menu and 152 00:09:28,963 --> 00:09:34,003 providing additional information about the sources of the ingredients adds value. 153 00:09:34,023 --> 00:09:39,703 But at the same time, I guess it raises questions of privacy. 154 00:09:40,123 --> 00:09:46,203 It raises questions of, let's say, is this a transaction or is 155 00:09:46,203 --> 00:09:49,033 there more of a human connection? 156 00:09:49,193 --> 00:09:53,873 Sometimes, especially thinking about businesses like restaurants 157 00:09:53,873 --> 00:09:54,753 or hairdressers, there is. 158 00:09:55,053 --> 00:09:59,653 and a very important element of, like a human touch, right? 159 00:09:59,653 --> 00:10:06,313 So you might ask a waiter to tell you about, the origin of the 160 00:10:06,313 --> 00:10:10,263 ingredients and it's in a ways different than if that information 161 00:10:10,263 --> 00:10:12,353 is just provided to you on demand. 162 00:10:12,353 --> 00:10:18,393 So how do you see this being implemented properly from a service provider's 163 00:10:18,413 --> 00:10:22,273 perspective, how do you do hyper personalization without raising all 164 00:10:22,363 --> 00:10:27,483 the issues with privacy or just very simply without annoying your customers? 165 00:10:27,783 --> 00:10:30,623 Shahar: With privacy, it's very interesting because we all need 166 00:10:30,623 --> 00:10:35,283 to be very vocal about what we expect or not from the machines. 167 00:10:35,553 --> 00:10:39,693 Because we have the next situation, for example, there's a company in 168 00:10:39,693 --> 00:10:44,293 Europe launching a humanoid robot ready for the market in February, right? 169 00:10:44,593 --> 00:10:46,385 We are probably going to have those here. 170 00:10:46,633 --> 00:10:49,683 They are expensive, but you're going to figure a way to have 171 00:10:49,683 --> 00:10:50,753 one in your house, right? 172 00:10:51,143 --> 00:10:56,433 How much do you want it to be actually listening and recording 173 00:10:56,443 --> 00:10:57,933 everything that happens in your life? 174 00:10:57,973 --> 00:10:59,513 What is too much? 175 00:10:59,523 --> 00:11:00,303 What can you do? 176 00:11:00,303 --> 00:11:03,413 And then, where is it going to be uploaded to? 177 00:11:03,463 --> 00:11:05,873 And who is going to be getting this data? 178 00:11:06,253 --> 00:11:09,573 After all, our home is our most intimate environment. 179 00:11:09,658 --> 00:11:13,188 How much do we want that and who is controlling all that? 180 00:11:13,228 --> 00:11:15,308 Which billionaire is controlling all that? 181 00:11:15,648 --> 00:11:21,378 So we have to be very vocal of where the limits are because it is still a Wild 182 00:11:21,418 --> 00:11:25,463 West , in terms of, Our safety, right? 183 00:11:25,463 --> 00:11:27,363 And we have to be concerned all the time. 184 00:11:27,363 --> 00:11:32,873 Whatever happens in the near future, we need to always be exercising our critical 185 00:11:32,893 --> 00:11:37,423 thinking, and we need to make very sure that the final decision is ours. 186 00:11:37,693 --> 00:11:40,993 Now, about the part of the question about the human touch. 187 00:11:41,053 --> 00:11:46,208 I'm all for, yes, humans need to be there and interacting because this 188 00:11:46,208 --> 00:11:50,068 isolation that we are living now, it's going to increase and it's 189 00:11:50,098 --> 00:11:52,078 going to cause many, many problems. 190 00:11:52,558 --> 00:11:57,158 As a business owner, you need to see how you're going to achieve that balance. 191 00:11:57,458 --> 00:12:00,148 Because in some things, you need consistency. 192 00:12:00,148 --> 00:12:03,608 Consistency is the key to success in business, right? 193 00:12:03,608 --> 00:12:04,648 You need to be very consistent. 194 00:12:04,648 --> 00:12:07,988 This is always the same experience that you need to provide. 195 00:12:08,228 --> 00:12:12,008 And unfortunately, many times, it doesn't matter how much training you put into 196 00:12:12,268 --> 00:12:16,569 an employee, if they're in a bad mood, if they had a fight with a girlfriend, 197 00:12:16,869 --> 00:12:18,279 things might go south that day. 198 00:12:18,439 --> 00:12:22,149 So you have to know that balance, which are the things that you can train and 199 00:12:22,149 --> 00:12:26,199 have very good results and which are the things that you should automate 200 00:12:26,529 --> 00:12:29,609 because you need that consistent to be there every single time. 201 00:12:29,949 --> 00:12:32,809 And I think we can achieve that balance very well. 202 00:12:33,109 --> 00:12:36,694 But it does require some sitting down and brainstorming. 203 00:12:36,704 --> 00:12:38,134 You can brainstorm with the AI. 204 00:12:38,174 --> 00:12:39,164 I do that all the time. 205 00:12:39,184 --> 00:12:45,424 I use Claude a lot and the entrepreneur always has this problem, we tend 206 00:12:45,424 --> 00:12:49,054 to say it's the loneliest person on Earth because you never find people 207 00:12:49,414 --> 00:12:51,504 to talk about on the daily life. 208 00:12:51,774 --> 00:12:54,164 The wife or the husband are not entrepreneurs. 209 00:12:54,334 --> 00:12:55,004 It's just hard. 210 00:12:55,404 --> 00:12:57,334 So sometimes we go to the AI. 211 00:12:57,334 --> 00:12:58,484 What do you think about that? 212 00:12:58,504 --> 00:13:01,734 Then you brainstorm as long as the final decision is yours. 213 00:13:01,954 --> 00:13:02,634 It is good. 214 00:13:02,844 --> 00:13:04,754 But I think it's a matter of balance. 215 00:13:04,754 --> 00:13:08,404 AI is not here to replace everybody and everything is not going to happen. 216 00:13:08,704 --> 00:13:11,424 But at the same time, There are many things that can be 217 00:13:11,454 --> 00:13:13,264 beneficial to a business, right? 218 00:13:13,264 --> 00:13:17,344 And those things will have to be there, and this will cause consequences. 219 00:13:17,364 --> 00:13:20,834 You are going to have some professions that are going to go away, but 220 00:13:20,834 --> 00:13:24,584 that has happened with every single major change in history, right? 221 00:13:24,594 --> 00:13:26,074 Some professions go away. 222 00:13:26,124 --> 00:13:27,934 we are very creative people, right? 223 00:13:27,934 --> 00:13:28,824 The human beings. 224 00:13:29,054 --> 00:13:31,874 So we find a way to adapt to what's coming up. 225 00:13:32,174 --> 00:13:39,324 Alex: So what one of the very key, points you've made that I would like to go back 226 00:13:39,324 --> 00:13:45,729 to is that if you need consistency to deliver a specific service or part of 227 00:13:45,729 --> 00:13:51,469 a service, that might be a good place to put automation, maybe artificial 228 00:13:51,469 --> 00:13:52,749 intelligence or something else. 229 00:13:53,049 --> 00:13:58,309 And on the other hand, and I go back to the report you've published, you have 230 00:13:58,339 --> 00:14:01,129 eight laws of irresistibility in there. 231 00:14:01,429 --> 00:14:07,379 And one of them is for businesses really to embrace authenticity and rawness. 232 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:13,309 And so I wonder whether for you, these are kind of, if you need consistency, 233 00:14:13,309 --> 00:14:15,049 you go with automation and AI. 234 00:14:15,089 --> 00:14:19,929 If you need, if you don't, then maybe it's a good place for authenticity or rawness. 235 00:14:20,199 --> 00:14:22,599 Or do you see those two actually being compatible? 236 00:14:22,899 --> 00:14:26,429 Shahar: I think they are very compatible because when I need the rawness and 237 00:14:26,429 --> 00:14:31,499 the authenticity is especially when I'm creating visibility, I'm showing to the 238 00:14:31,499 --> 00:14:33,979 consumer who I am, what I am about, right? 239 00:14:33,979 --> 00:14:37,949 I think one question that we always need to ask is who the consumer 240 00:14:37,949 --> 00:14:39,874 becomes by working with you. 241 00:14:40,184 --> 00:14:41,964 And it doesn't matter the size of your company. 242 00:14:41,974 --> 00:14:43,184 It doesn't matter what you do. 243 00:14:43,524 --> 00:14:46,474 if you provide the right experience, you change the person. 244 00:14:46,484 --> 00:14:49,794 So who do I become by working with your company? 245 00:14:50,314 --> 00:14:54,874 It's a crucial question that I have to ask as a business owner. 246 00:14:55,174 --> 00:14:59,834 And now when I am vocalizing what I do when I'm on social media, when 247 00:14:59,834 --> 00:15:03,694 I'm marketing, when I'm advertising, I need that rawness there. 248 00:15:03,694 --> 00:15:08,554 Because the more I go with the traditional, everything is branded and 249 00:15:08,554 --> 00:15:12,054 we have to have official communication, I'm going to lose the consumer. 250 00:15:12,184 --> 00:15:13,614 They are not looking for that. 251 00:15:14,024 --> 00:15:16,894 A very good example is the company Duolingo. 252 00:15:17,134 --> 00:15:19,244 You have an app that you can learn any language. 253 00:15:19,584 --> 00:15:20,894 They do a very good job. 254 00:15:20,974 --> 00:15:23,344 They created the character, the Duolingo. 255 00:15:23,664 --> 00:15:26,254 And Duolingo dances on TikTok. 256 00:15:26,254 --> 00:15:30,814 And when TikTok was banned, Duolingo said goodbye to everybody. 257 00:15:30,834 --> 00:15:35,374 Then the company employees threw Duolingo in the dumpster and said goodbye. 258 00:15:35,404 --> 00:15:38,444 And then when we came back, there was a skit about that. 259 00:15:38,904 --> 00:15:42,264 You have companies like Mr. Peanut doing a good job of that. 260 00:15:42,294 --> 00:15:43,274 But basically. 261 00:15:43,574 --> 00:15:45,624 What they want to see is, who are you? 262 00:15:45,624 --> 00:15:46,794 What are you about? 263 00:15:46,854 --> 00:15:49,804 And if you make mistakes, let's go with that. 264 00:15:50,174 --> 00:15:53,154 So it's true for everything, podcasts included, right? 265 00:15:53,184 --> 00:15:59,334 We don't want the traditional TV person that has the perfect hair, perfect makeup, 266 00:15:59,534 --> 00:16:01,919 perfect age, saying the perfect things. 267 00:16:02,099 --> 00:16:03,809 The consumer doesn't want that anymore. 268 00:16:04,179 --> 00:16:05,369 They want to see who you are. 269 00:16:05,369 --> 00:16:07,279 And if you make mistakes, you go along. 270 00:16:07,449 --> 00:16:08,579 you don't stop recording. 271 00:16:08,579 --> 00:16:12,389 We make mistakes and you go along and you'd have to do that in social 272 00:16:12,389 --> 00:16:16,169 media as a whole, and then showing the backstage and by showing the 273 00:16:16,179 --> 00:16:21,172 backstage many times means, okay, let's show what's not working as well. 274 00:16:21,584 --> 00:16:26,084 Because if it's a business, it doesn't have only good days, right? 275 00:16:26,084 --> 00:16:28,494 It actually has a workload of bad days. 276 00:16:28,654 --> 00:16:32,374 Let's show how we deal with that, how we are problem solvers in that situation. 277 00:16:32,374 --> 00:16:33,454 What happens next? 278 00:16:33,784 --> 00:16:37,684 That's what the consumer is really looking for because it's actually 279 00:16:37,724 --> 00:16:40,184 looking for where are you like me? 280 00:16:40,384 --> 00:16:41,824 And where can we connect? 281 00:16:42,084 --> 00:16:43,994 Remember, we are isolated. 282 00:16:44,004 --> 00:16:45,294 We are feeling lonely. 283 00:16:45,494 --> 00:16:48,094 We need connections, but connections that matter. 284 00:16:48,394 --> 00:16:53,244 So if you're just talking about the features of what you are offering, it's 285 00:16:53,244 --> 00:16:54,769 not going to get anybody's attention. 286 00:16:54,839 --> 00:16:57,058 Now, if you're talking about the futures. 287 00:16:57,358 --> 00:17:01,288 What's in it for them once they interact with you, that's another ball game. 288 00:17:01,518 --> 00:17:06,158 So we need always to be thinking about when I'm creating a piece for 289 00:17:06,208 --> 00:17:10,118 social media, for advertising, or for whatever it is, am I talking 290 00:17:10,118 --> 00:17:12,178 to them on an emotional level? 291 00:17:12,478 --> 00:17:16,078 Because that's when I stopped being a commodity where people are going 292 00:17:16,078 --> 00:17:19,568 to say, okay, you're cheaper than that one, so I'll go this way. 293 00:17:19,988 --> 00:17:23,738 And they start thinking, no, it is, I care about what you say. 294 00:17:23,988 --> 00:17:25,758 So it doesn't matter how much you're charging. 295 00:17:25,978 --> 00:17:28,878 I will go with you because we have something in common. 296 00:17:29,378 --> 00:17:32,028 I'm reaching them on an emotional level. 297 00:17:32,328 --> 00:17:34,948 a more core thing for what we want. 298 00:17:35,238 --> 00:17:39,508 That's why some places can only sell coffee at 50 cents and other 299 00:17:39,508 --> 00:17:41,968 places can sell coffee at $7. 300 00:17:42,248 --> 00:17:43,668 It's not because of the quality. 301 00:17:43,688 --> 00:17:45,678 That, that is not even relevant, right? 302 00:17:45,978 --> 00:17:47,058 What is the difference? 303 00:17:47,128 --> 00:17:49,208 How do I feel when I drink that coffee? 304 00:17:49,368 --> 00:17:52,738 How do I feel when I show that coffee to everybody, right? 305 00:17:53,018 --> 00:17:54,648 So we need to be there. 306 00:17:54,658 --> 00:17:57,628 And this rawness comes in these scenarios. 307 00:17:57,928 --> 00:18:02,178 so when I'm talking about sourcing locally, your menu can do that 308 00:18:02,198 --> 00:18:05,238 automatically for everybody, but you can also have reels where 309 00:18:05,238 --> 00:18:06,888 you're shopping in a local market. 310 00:18:07,188 --> 00:18:10,068 Then you're choosing which tomato you're going to offer that day. 311 00:18:10,398 --> 00:18:13,698 Simple things that can be done by any business is not related 312 00:18:13,698 --> 00:18:16,908 to the budget that they have, and that can make a huge impact. 313 00:18:16,918 --> 00:18:20,120 So I think it's a mix, but I think they go well together. 314 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:24,330 Alex: It kind of sounds like these are not activities that you would want to 315 00:18:24,350 --> 00:18:29,760 automate, like shooting that reel as you're buying the groceries in the market, 316 00:18:30,060 --> 00:18:34,520 isn't something you don't want to, I don't know, use Sora to generate that clip. 317 00:18:34,540 --> 00:18:37,610 You actually literally want to have like a behind the scenes 318 00:18:37,630 --> 00:18:39,475 vibe that matches your business. 319 00:18:39,770 --> 00:18:45,480 So would you say that's where you see maybe, AI being used for other 320 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:47,370 things and like, when we want to. 321 00:18:48,605 --> 00:18:52,755 to, to show what's behind the scenes, then we don't use AI. 322 00:18:52,755 --> 00:18:53,665 Is that how you see it? 323 00:18:53,965 --> 00:18:54,445 Shahar: Yeah. 324 00:18:54,555 --> 00:18:54,795 Yeah. 325 00:18:54,795 --> 00:18:56,955 I think it's always a combination, right? 326 00:18:56,955 --> 00:19:01,465 Because for example, I have tested that and I have made a gazillion 327 00:19:01,485 --> 00:19:05,435 reels, where it's either my voice or me or footage that I have done. 328 00:19:05,745 --> 00:19:08,705 And a gazillion ones that AI has done everything for me. 329 00:19:09,135 --> 00:19:12,545 Those at the moment, they do not perform well, right? 330 00:19:12,585 --> 00:19:17,085 Because it's somehow, it still sounds or looks fake, but this is 331 00:19:17,085 --> 00:19:18,825 changing so fast that I don't know. 332 00:19:19,075 --> 00:19:20,345 Now a combination. 333 00:19:20,685 --> 00:19:23,975 So for example, in one of my business, I target an audience 334 00:19:23,975 --> 00:19:25,735 that is very different than I am. 335 00:19:25,735 --> 00:19:26,825 It's a much younger. 336 00:19:27,435 --> 00:19:29,155 Needs and wants all different, right? 337 00:19:29,415 --> 00:19:33,805 So when I do the footage, I edit on a software that has AI, but 338 00:19:33,805 --> 00:19:38,565 I edit the video and then I use an AI voice of a younger person. 339 00:19:38,865 --> 00:19:42,955 So in that case, I'm, using both because you can tell by the voice of the 340 00:19:42,955 --> 00:19:44,635 person more or less what age they are. 341 00:19:44,905 --> 00:19:47,215 So I need a much younger audience in that case. 342 00:19:47,225 --> 00:19:48,805 So then I use the AI voice. 343 00:19:49,105 --> 00:19:52,355 I would say when you're looking, should I use AI here or not? 344 00:19:52,445 --> 00:19:56,345 I would first start with a list of the 10 things you hate to do in your 345 00:19:56,345 --> 00:19:58,125 business, and we all have those, right? 346 00:19:58,405 --> 00:20:02,495 We might have started a business thinking everything would be my way, and we figure 347 00:20:02,495 --> 00:20:05,855 very fast that no, there's a lot of very boring things that you have to do. 348 00:20:06,235 --> 00:20:07,705 So, write those down. 349 00:20:07,715 --> 00:20:08,735 What are they for you? 350 00:20:09,035 --> 00:20:12,435 And those ones are the ones that you're going to automate. 351 00:20:12,725 --> 00:20:15,195 So I call that a digital doppelganger. 352 00:20:15,215 --> 00:20:18,665 We can create twins of ourselves all the time right now. 353 00:20:18,905 --> 00:20:19,745 Very good twins. 354 00:20:19,985 --> 00:20:24,565 And in those things you are going to put AI on because you already 355 00:20:24,565 --> 00:20:25,765 don't like to do those things. 356 00:20:26,155 --> 00:20:29,485 For you, maybe answer, for example, I, I don't know why, 357 00:20:29,515 --> 00:20:31,345 but I hate talking on the phone. 358 00:20:31,405 --> 00:20:32,065 Always have. 359 00:20:32,365 --> 00:20:35,905 So now we have an AI to do that and it does a very good job when 360 00:20:35,905 --> 00:20:40,790 somebody comes to me is because it's already being qualified in some way. 361 00:20:40,820 --> 00:20:43,970 It's an existing customer, it's a good prospect or something like that. 362 00:20:44,290 --> 00:20:47,800 But the questions about the data, small talk, I don't have to do 363 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:49,270 it and I'm very happy with that. 364 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,420 Maybe you don't like to answer emails and AI can do that. 365 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,530 Maybe you cannot and will not be monitoring your site all the time. 366 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:57,470 AI can do that. 367 00:20:57,770 --> 00:20:59,690 So I would first in those places. 368 00:20:59,690 --> 00:21:04,300 First, because it is easy, it's not expensive, and then it frees you time 369 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:06,820 to do exactly what you should be doing. 370 00:21:07,110 --> 00:21:11,000 That is strategizing about your business and implementing new things. 371 00:21:11,420 --> 00:21:14,730 It's very easy for us to say, just go to the market and film. 372 00:21:14,740 --> 00:21:19,120 But when you have to unclog the toilet of your restaurant, when you have to 373 00:21:19,130 --> 00:21:22,160 fight with an employee, when you have to buy the stuff, you don't have time 374 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:23,950 to go to the market to film something. 375 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:28,470 So you need to figure, okay, where can I put the AI to free me time? 376 00:21:29,445 --> 00:21:32,025 I can actually do things that will matter to the consumer. 377 00:21:32,315 --> 00:21:36,975 That would be much better because many people think that their day in their 378 00:21:37,105 --> 00:21:39,565 business is just putting fire out. 379 00:21:40,055 --> 00:21:45,805 I don't know if you know how long a real fireman spends, extinguishing fires. 380 00:21:46,105 --> 00:21:47,115 Do you have a ball game? 381 00:21:47,315 --> 00:21:49,165 The percentage of time they spend with that? 382 00:21:49,465 --> 00:21:51,195 Alex: I have no idea, but I guess minutes. 383 00:21:51,495 --> 00:21:56,825 Shahar: usually they spend only 2 percent of their time putting fire out. 384 00:21:57,125 --> 00:22:02,925 The 98 percent of their time is used in strategizing how to avoid that to happen. 385 00:22:03,225 --> 00:22:06,055 And we as business owners, we should do exactly the same. 386 00:22:06,345 --> 00:22:10,535 Our day should not be I need to deliver this to this client, I need 387 00:22:10,535 --> 00:22:12,085 to get this, and I need to do that. 388 00:22:12,115 --> 00:22:14,545 It shouldn't be like this, because you're putting fire out. 389 00:22:14,865 --> 00:22:18,045 You should be creating things to avoid these situations. 390 00:22:18,045 --> 00:22:21,855 And a lot of these situations can be avoided by automating. 391 00:22:22,085 --> 00:22:25,405 Because it's usually the weak points, the points that you don't like, or the 392 00:22:25,405 --> 00:22:29,865 points that are difficult to find people that want to do it in the correct way. 393 00:22:30,190 --> 00:22:34,170 So you automate those, and then you go with your day, planning for either 394 00:22:34,170 --> 00:22:36,110 the next crisis or the next launch. 395 00:22:36,410 --> 00:22:37,520 Alex: That makes total sense. 396 00:22:37,820 --> 00:22:43,350 Is there any harmful aspects of hyper personalizations? 397 00:22:43,350 --> 00:22:47,980 Do you see any limits that you would advise to your clients to, 398 00:22:48,410 --> 00:22:50,960 when they thinking about hyper personalizing their service? 399 00:22:51,260 --> 00:22:55,010 Shahar: I think there are many things that concerns us, and 400 00:22:55,010 --> 00:22:56,490 we need to be aware of them. 401 00:22:56,500 --> 00:23:00,510 Because, again, the hyper personalization is happening 402 00:23:00,530 --> 00:23:02,160 because of this hyper isolation. 403 00:23:02,510 --> 00:23:05,920 So, for example, today I can go to a website and find a 404 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:07,150 boyfriend, and guess what? 405 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:11,020 This boyfriend is not only going to be gorgeous, he's only going to say 406 00:23:11,020 --> 00:23:15,870 what I want, when I want, and will do whatever it's necessary to please me. 407 00:23:16,170 --> 00:23:18,360 That's very hard to find in real life, right? 408 00:23:18,790 --> 00:23:22,620 All this hyper personalization and isolation also causes 409 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:26,030 problems in behavior as consumers. 410 00:23:26,410 --> 00:23:29,262 Because they're in that isolation and in that world that they have 411 00:23:29,262 --> 00:23:32,812 catered for themselves, so they expect things that are not possible 412 00:23:33,122 --> 00:23:34,952 when they go and interact socially. 413 00:23:35,402 --> 00:23:36,752 There is a very big danger. 414 00:23:36,752 --> 00:23:38,622 And unfortunately we are going that route. 415 00:23:39,002 --> 00:23:41,792 So when I'm develop, I don't develop anything. 416 00:23:41,792 --> 00:23:46,302 I'm not a techie person, but when I'm developing an app or a service, 417 00:23:46,782 --> 00:23:51,132 that for AI, I need to consider those things because we all live on this 418 00:23:51,132 --> 00:23:52,922 earth and we all live in a society. 419 00:23:53,232 --> 00:23:57,202 So it's better that besides the money part, we also think will 420 00:23:57,212 --> 00:23:58,962 this cause any type of harm or not? 421 00:23:58,992 --> 00:23:59,682 And if it is. 422 00:23:59,742 --> 00:24:04,422 How can it, how can we balance, how can we put limits, right? 423 00:24:04,575 --> 00:24:08,245 for example, if you have a company that offers boyfriends and girlfriends, where 424 00:24:08,245 --> 00:24:10,655 is the limit for what they can say or not? 425 00:24:10,875 --> 00:24:12,605 Unfortunately, this was learned the hard way. 426 00:24:12,975 --> 00:24:16,865 Maybe you will think about all the bad scenarios before, when you are in the 427 00:24:16,865 --> 00:24:19,425 development stage of those things, right? 428 00:24:19,665 --> 00:24:23,945 But we have to think, because we tend to embrace things and 429 00:24:23,945 --> 00:24:25,265 not think about it, right? 430 00:24:25,505 --> 00:24:28,005 So you will have to do this for your customers. 431 00:24:28,305 --> 00:24:29,675 Alex: Yeah, that makes sense. 432 00:24:29,975 --> 00:24:35,245 And as we're about to wrap up, I usually ask at the end for a book, a tool, 433 00:24:35,255 --> 00:24:39,875 or a habit that has made a particular impact on you in the last 12 months. 434 00:24:40,155 --> 00:24:41,256 And And why? 435 00:24:42,016 --> 00:24:42,706 Shahar: A book? 436 00:24:42,766 --> 00:24:45,886 It would be the one never split the difference. 437 00:24:46,716 --> 00:24:51,186 The reason I this book, it is written by an agent that does hostage 438 00:24:51,186 --> 00:24:53,636 situations and it is phenomenal. 439 00:24:53,906 --> 00:24:56,316 Because it teaches you how a human being thinks, right? 440 00:24:56,316 --> 00:25:01,785 And, you know, when we are in business, we tend to think it's all 441 00:25:01,785 --> 00:25:04,705 about the business side and how we make more money and more profit. 442 00:25:05,055 --> 00:25:09,095 But, If you're in business, you're selling either to a company or to a human being. 443 00:25:09,095 --> 00:25:12,025 And if you're selling to a company, you're also selling to human beings at the end. 444 00:25:12,445 --> 00:25:14,655 So we need to understand how they work. 445 00:25:14,665 --> 00:25:18,565 This makes not only easier for you to market your product or service, 446 00:25:18,885 --> 00:25:23,265 but it also makes it cheaper for you to market your products or service. 447 00:25:23,555 --> 00:25:26,125 As a tool, I do like Claude a lot. 448 00:25:26,165 --> 00:25:31,615 It's simple because it's like ChatGPT, but it's more business oriented and 449 00:25:31,615 --> 00:25:33,375 it has the projects that I like a lot. 450 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,230 Maybe we'll soon have to go back to GPT because there are some very 451 00:25:37,230 --> 00:25:38,510 cool things happening right now. 452 00:25:38,820 --> 00:25:40,080 But that's the thing with AI. 453 00:25:40,340 --> 00:25:43,880 The moment we say A2, it's all news tomorrow. 454 00:25:44,230 --> 00:25:49,780 So I think a better approach would be go try, see the thing again, things 455 00:25:49,780 --> 00:25:53,860 you don't like to do, or you need help with, and go try some tools out there. 456 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:55,670 There's a new one every single day. 457 00:25:55,910 --> 00:25:58,490 And the ones that you like, see how you can implement 458 00:25:58,500 --> 00:25:59,870 that in your business as well. 459 00:26:00,020 --> 00:26:00,620 Alex: Yes, absolutely. 460 00:26:00,620 --> 00:26:05,260 So we'll make sure to put Chris Voss's Never Split the Difference in 461 00:26:05,540 --> 00:26:07,510 a link in the description, of course. 462 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:12,650 And the final question, what is the one thing that you would expect to remain 463 00:26:12,730 --> 00:26:14,950 the same, constant 10 years from now? 464 00:26:15,250 --> 00:26:19,210 Shahar: The only thing that is always a constant is change. 465 00:26:19,510 --> 00:26:23,710 Things will keep changing and, change is a funny word because 466 00:26:23,710 --> 00:26:25,190 in the marketing, we avoid it. 467 00:26:25,630 --> 00:26:28,990 Nobody likes change, but that's the only constant we have in life. 468 00:26:29,020 --> 00:26:33,850 Business will change, political parties will change, AI will change. 469 00:26:34,150 --> 00:26:37,810 So the more you get comfortable with the fact that every time there is a 470 00:26:37,820 --> 00:26:40,220 change, you have to do adjustments. 471 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:42,395 Because that's what we have to do all the time. 472 00:26:42,575 --> 00:26:43,125 You're fine. 473 00:26:43,135 --> 00:26:44,545 You're going to be successful. 474 00:26:44,875 --> 00:26:49,515 Now, if you just, enter the behavior of, I don't like this and I don't 475 00:26:49,515 --> 00:26:53,205 want to know about it, and I'm not going to use it, as a business, 476 00:26:53,205 --> 00:26:54,215 you're going to be left behind. 477 00:26:54,525 --> 00:26:56,385 Because there is no way out of it. 478 00:26:56,565 --> 00:26:59,685 Once consumer behavior changes, it doesn't go back. 479 00:26:59,885 --> 00:27:01,485 You already saw that in the pandemic. 480 00:27:01,485 --> 00:27:04,605 If you were expecting things to go back as they were, never happened. 481 00:27:04,835 --> 00:27:06,165 So it's not going to happen. 482 00:27:06,175 --> 00:27:09,965 So you either adapt or you're going to be left behind. 483 00:27:10,265 --> 00:27:13,585 Alex: Perfect, wonderful, Shahar, thank you very much. 484 00:27:13,885 --> 00:27:14,445 Shahar: My pleasure. 485 00:27:14,475 --> 00:27:15,675 It was a pleasure to be here. 486 00:27:16,259 --> 00:27:19,809 Alex: In today's conversation, Shahar showed us how artificial intelligence 487 00:27:20,069 --> 00:27:23,559 is changing the way we live, shop, and connect with businesses. 488 00:27:24,169 --> 00:27:28,768 She shared practical advice on using AI to make things more efficient, while still 489 00:27:28,769 --> 00:27:30,989 keeping that all important human touch. 490 00:27:31,589 --> 00:27:32,649 One key takeaway? 491 00:27:33,094 --> 00:27:37,684 AI works best when it handles the boring stuff, like scheduling or answering 492 00:27:37,684 --> 00:27:42,784 common questions, so you and your team can focus on what truly matters, building 493 00:27:42,784 --> 00:27:44,834 real connections with your customers. 494 00:27:45,354 --> 00:27:47,464 So here's a couple of questions to think about. 495 00:27:47,914 --> 00:27:52,134 Where can you use AI to save time, and how can you make sure your business 496 00:27:52,374 --> 00:27:54,584 still feels personal and authentic? 497 00:27:55,204 --> 00:27:58,364 If you want to dive deeper into how AI is shaping the future of 498 00:27:58,364 --> 00:28:03,704 consumer behavior, check out Shahar's report, AI Consumer Trends for 2025. 499 00:28:04,109 --> 00:28:05,539 The link is in the description. 500 00:28:06,239 --> 00:28:10,519 As always, we have more exciting topics and guest appearances lined up, so 501 00:28:10,519 --> 00:28:15,089 stay tuned for more tales of innovation that inspire, challenge, and transform. 502 00:28:15,679 --> 00:28:17,639 Until next time, peace.