Customer Loyalty Takeaways: AI Fluency Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage for Both Employees and Brands

A new Bloomberg article highlighting research from Gallup found that technology employees who use AI at least monthly are three times less likely to be laid off than those who rarely or never use AI. While the study focused on employees, the implications extend far beyond HR and have direct relevance for customer loyalty, customer experience, and marketing leaders. 

Key Takeaways 

1. AI literacy is quickly becoming a business expectation—not a nice-to-have. 

• Tech workers who regularly use AI had an estimated 6% layoff risk, compared to 18% for infrequent AI users.  

• The research suggests AI proficiency is increasingly viewed as a core workplace skill, similar to digital literacy a decade ago.  

2. AI adoption is creating a competitive divide inside organizations. 

• Companies are beginning to differentiate employees based on their ability to effectively leverage AI.  

• The advantage isn't necessarily using AI more often—it is using AI to become more productive and make better decisions.  

3. AI's impact on workforce decisions is likely understated. 

• Only about 1% of laid-off employees believed AI directly caused their job loss.  

• However, researchers note AI is likely influencing restructuring, productivity expectations, and organizational redesign behind the scenes.  

4. Productivity—not AI usage alone—is the ultimate metric. 

• Gallup cautions against measuring employees by how often they use AI tools.  

• Instead, organizations should evaluate whether AI enables higher-quality work, faster execution, and stronger business outcomes.  

Why This Matters for Customer Loyalty and CX Leaders 

AI capabilities will become a differentiator for loyalty teams. 

Loyalty professionals who understand how to use AI to analyze customer data, personalize offers, generate insights, automate campaigns, and improve decision-making will likely deliver significantly more value than teams relying on traditional processes. 

The expectations for personalization continue to rise. 

Brands that effectively use AI can: 

• Deliver more relevant offers.  

• Predict customer needs.  

• Improve customer service responsiveness.  

• Optimize loyalty rewards.  

• Reduce friction throughout the customer journey.  

As customers increasingly experience AI-powered personalization from leading brands, those expectations will extend to every loyalty program they engage with. 

Loyalty organizations should invest in people—not just platforms. 

Many organizations have already invested heavily in AI technologies, but the next competitive advantage will come from ensuring employees know how to apply those tools effectively. Training marketers, CRM teams, CX professionals, analysts, and loyalty managers to work alongside AI may generate a greater return than purchasing additional AI solutions. 

AI adoption should be tied to measurable business outcomes. 

The article reinforces an important point for loyalty leaders: 

• Don't measure AI usage.  

• Measure improvements in:  

• Customer retention  

• Campaign performance  

• Speed to market  

• Customer satisfaction  

• Personalization effectiveness  

• Employee productivity  

• Revenue per customer 
   

  Loyalty360 Perspective 

  This research reinforces a broader trend already emerging across the customer loyalty industry: AI is shifting from an innovation initiative to an operational expectation. As brands continue investing in predictive analytics, personalization, customer insights, and automation, success will increasingly depend on employees' ability to translate AI capabilities into better customer experiences and stronger business outcomes. 

  For loyalty leaders, the takeaway is clear: investing in AI technology alone is no longer enough. Organizations that pair AI investments with workforce education, governance, and practical adoption strategies will be better positioned to improve customer engagement, increase operational efficiency, and maintain a competitive advantage as AI becomes embedded across every aspect of customer loyalty and customer experience.