AI Adoption in CX Teams with Andy Yasutake, Leader at Edgevana, ex-AirBnB, LinkedIn, & eBay

AI isn't replacing humans in customer experience — it's transforming them. In our very first episode of AI CX Innovators, Ashish Nagar, Founder & CEO of Level AI, dives deep with inaugural guest Andy Yasutake, SVP and Global Head of Strategic Growth & Ventures at Edgevana. 

As former architect of customer experience transformations at tech giants eBay, LinkedIn, and Airbnb and with over 25 years shaping how global brands interact with millions of customers, Andy presents his battle-tested strategies for leading multi-million-dollar AI initiatives, navigating organizational resistance, and implementing generative AI at enterprise scale. 

From turning the 2020 pandemic into an opportunity for Airbnb's technology transformation to personally helping Brian Chesky deliver his vision of "11-star experiences," Andy shares candid insights few technology leaders have experienced across three waves of digital disruption.

Topics Discussed:

• The challenges of managing data due to rapid AI technology evolution and how companies must adapt their strategies from multi-year implementations to iterative approaches delivering value in days and weeks.
• The process of determining when to build in-house vs. partner with AI vendors, including a framework for distinguishing between "core" business differentiators and "contextual" systems already solved elsewhere.
• How successful companies develop integrated product-operations roadmaps rather than treating AI as a technology to be shipped over the fence, with monthly iteration checkpoints aligned to business seasonality.
• Why Airbnb deliberately delayed customer-facing GenAI implementations despite being partners with OpenAI and Microsoft, focusing first on internal learning while competitors rushed to market.
• The complexities of calculating true GenAI implementation costs, including unexpected compute expenses many companies failed to factor into early business cases.
• How CX organizations can move from cost centers to strategic drivers by using rich customer data to demonstrate direct impact on executive-level metrics and brand differentiation.
• The organizational structure shift that doubled AI adoption rates at LinkedIn and Airbnb by moving product teams under operational leadership rather than central technology organizations.
• Andy's "Iron Man vs. dystopia" vision for AI's impact on contact centers, where technology augments human capabilities rather than replacing them, enabling agents to handle significantly more complex issues with higher quality.