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 Revolution


The 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.