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Make It Real

Make It Real

By: EXL
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Summary

Artificial intelligence is changing the way real work gets done. But big ideas don’t drive change. People do. The ones who roll up their sleeves, modernize data, and bring AI to life where it matters most. In the workflow. This is for them. For you. The visionaries. The innovators. The leaders turning potential into performance and pushing their organizations forward. Everyone’s talking about the promise of AI and what it can do. On this show, we’re talking about making it real. Learn from the experts who are driving it forward and walk away with everything you need to bring AI to life in your organization.© 2026 EXL Economics
Episodes
  • New Possibilities in the Age of Agentic AI with Samrah Khan | Google
    Apr 9 2026

    Agentic AI is more powerful than ever. How can organizations keep up with the latest developments to unlock the real potential of AI today?

    In this episode of Make It Real, Shirley Macbeth talks to Samrah Khan, Head of North America Solution Services Partnerships at Google, about the rise of agentic AI. Samrah discusses the significance of the newest shifts in AI technology and how it is improving workflows in industries such as finance and healthcare. She unpacks the pivot to the “human on the loop”, what AI agents need to run efficiently in an organization’s system, and why AI adoption doesn’t just mean a shift in tech but in company culture.


    Key takeaways:

    • The new role of humans in AI-powered systems
    • Why data health is the key to successful AI adoption
    • How organizations can help employees overcome AI apprehension


    Highlights:
    (00:00) Introducing Samrah Khan
    (04:50) The latest developments in agentic AI
    (06:18) From “human in the loop” to “human on the loop”
    (10:57) The hurdle keeping organizations from successfully adopting AI
    (13:54) How agentic AI is making an impact in financial services

    (16:52) The impact of AI on healthcare CX

    (21:08) Why change management is a crucial part of AI adoption


    Resources:

    Samrah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samrahk/

    Google LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/google/

    Shirley’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirleymacbeth/

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    25 mins
  • How AI simplifies complex systems with David Anderson
    Mar 12 2026

    A conservative mindset may be keeping an organization from fully realizing the benefits of AI. With clear goals and alignment, businesses can take the first step towards embedding AI in the workflow.

    In this episode of Make It Real, Shirley Macbeth chats with David Anderson, Sr. Director for Operations & Vendor Management at CNO, to talk about making the shift from AI apprehension to adoption. David shares the journey of integrating AI into CNO’s customer service operations and what had to happen internally to unlock the benefits of automation. He breaks down the importance of change management and well-defined human roles as an organization learns to embrace AI.


    Key takeaways:

    • How AI can improve the customer experience
    • The role of the end user in shifting to automated processes
    • How to push for change management and avoid change fatigue


    Highlights:
    (00:00) Introducing David Anderson
    (02:36) The benefits of bringing AI into complex systems
    (03:28) An opportunity to organize unstructured data with AI
    (06:42) Aligning on objectives and goals for AI to get leadership buy-in
    (09:07) How AI can be used to improve customer experience
    (10:34) Quantifying the results of AI adoption

    (11:34) How AI allows human agents to focus on customer concerns

    (13:41) Change management goes hand in hand with AI adoption

    (17:59) Continued growth and increased capacity with AI


    Resources:

    David’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/d2anderson/

    CNO website: https://www.cnoinc.com/

    CNO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cno-financial-group/

    Shirley’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirleymacbeth/

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    22 mins
  • Unlocking the Real Value of AI in Business with Rohit Kapoor
    Jan 7 2026

    Many organizations are still struggling to bridge the gap between the promise of AI and its reality. So, how can leadership make AI work for them?

    In this episode of Make It Real, Shirley Macbeth sits down with Rohit Kapoor, CEO and Chairman at EXL, to discuss AI adoption at the enterprise level. Rohit breaks down what businesses are getting wrong about deploying AI, the impact of AI on workflows, and real stories of how AI has transformed the way companies in complex industries work. He shares advice on picking the right cases for the use of AI, keeping human workers involved in AI adoption, and innovating with speed.


    Key takeaways:

    • Why organizations aren’t seeing ROI from the use of AI
    • The importance of data health in making your org AI-ready
    • How AI improves customer experience


    Highlights:
    (00:00) Introducing Rohit Kapoor
    (02:10) Why ROI in AI is still elusive for many businesses
    (05:44) Finding the right use cases for AI
    (07:32) The key role of data health in AI implementation
    (10:31) AI success stories in insurance and utilities
    (13:48) How AI helps businesses serve customers better

    (15:22) Why humans still matter in an AI-powered org

    (18:09) Lessons from EXL’s AI journey

    (20:36) Innovating with speed


    Resources:

    Rohit’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitkapoorexl/

    EXL website: https://www.exlservice.com/

    Shirley’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirleymacbeth/

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    22 mins
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