For years, brands have focused on “omnichannel” presence, but the arrival of sophisticated Artificial Intelligence is transforming those channels from static touchpoints into a living, breathing ecosystem. In 2026, the brands that thrive won’t just be those that use AI, but those that use it to build deeper, more meaningful connections.
The sheer scale of digital interaction is about to reach unprecedented levels. We are moving away from limited customer service queues toward a world of infinite, simultaneous dialogues. Angus Mansfield, Senior Vice President of Sales and Partnerships APAC at Sinch, comments,”AI agents will spark an explosion in conversation volume and opportunity. Global message traffic is expected to rise three to five times across industries… Sinch expects total conversation volumes to surge up to fivefold across industries.”
This surge isn’t just human-to-bot; it includes AI agents communicating directly with other agents to resolve tasks. Managing this will require a fundamental overhaul of data and workflow architectures to handle billions of parallel, context-aware exchanges.
Traditionally, automated systems were designed to keep customers away from human agents to save money. That mindset is dead. Today, every interaction is a chance to grow. “AI agents will evolve from simple cost savers to true growth engines. AI will no longer be about deflection but expansion. Every customer interaction becomes a source of insight and potential revenue”, says Mansfield.
The new era of voice and messaging
While text is efficient, voice is becoming the gold standard for high-stakes interactions. Thanks to massive leaps in processing speed, the “robotic” delay is a thing of the past. Industry analyst, Audrey William, founder of Crayon IQ, explains, “Voice AI fundamentally represents the capability for consumers to express their intent through natural speech. This spoken intent must then be accurately understood by the underlying intelligence—powered by Machine Learning and AI engines, often including Large Language Models (LLMs)—allowing the system to autonomously process the request and act appropriately to sustain a fluid conversation”.
“New voice AI systems now respond in around 800 milliseconds, nearly as fast as human conversation”, says Mansfield. This near-instant response allows for real-time intent recognition that feels natural and helpful. While SMS remains the backbone for security, channels like RCS and WhatsApp are turning dry notifications into interactive experiences. “Brands that integrate these channels into one AI-driven journey layer will lead the market.”
A “one size fits all” strategy is no longer viable in a fragmented global market. To lead, brands must adapt to the “Super App” cultures of the East and the messaging-first cultures of the South. Mansfield observes, “In markets like Brazil and India, WhatsApp accounts for over 90% of business-to-consumer messaging traffic. RCS adoption accelerates in North America, and super apps drive Asia’s ecosystem.”
Trust – The ultimate currency
As AI makes it easier to communicate, it also makes it easier to deceive. In an era of deepfakes, verified and secure communications will define the future of brand trust. According to Mansfield, “As deepfake and voice spoofing accelerate, verified senders, branded visuals, and frictionless authentication will define digital trust.In the very near future, if a message isn’t verified or relevant, it won’t just be ignored—it will be filtered out by the user’s own AI before it even reaches their eyes”.
Ivana Papanicolaou, Head of Customer Experience Solutions Strategy, Qualtrics, adds, ” Loyalty is becoming more fragile and more dependent on how reliably organisations deliver consistent, trustworthy experiences. In 2026, loyalty will be redefined from a primarily value-based decision to a trust-and-experience-based relationship”.
Kelley Hackney, Regional Vice President, Zendesk Australia and New Zealand, advises, “Transparency is essential for this to work. Brands should always let customers know when they’re interacting with AI. For example, simple introductions such as, “Hello, I’m Tilly, a virtual team member,” foster trust and set clear expectations.
She adds, “When businesses focus on creating genuine, human-centred AI interactions across all touchpoints of the customer journey, they don’t just make things run more smoothly—they create trust, loyalty, and a lasting connection with their customers”.
The death of irrelevance in the inbox
Email is not dying; it is being “cleaned.” Intelligent inboxes are now acting as gatekeepers, rewarding precision and punishing noise.”Intelligent inboxes will penalise generic content and prioritise verified, contextually relevant messages. The penalty for irrelevance will be absolute: if you are not trusted or personalised, you will be invisible.”
With 33% of consumers expressing active frustration over irrelevant content, the transition to AI-driven, hyper-personalised email is a matter of survival.
The transition facing brands in 2026 is not merely a technical upgrade; it is a fundamental shift in philosophy. Success no longer looks like a customer service ticket closed, but an AI-driven dialogue opened. By integrating hyper-personalised messaging with the near-instant responsiveness of Voice AI, brands can finally bridge the gap between human intent and automated execution. In this new ecosystem, the goal is simple but demanding – be present, be personal, and above all, be a voice the consumer can trust.