When I started at Chili Piper 3 months ago, I was impressed with how much AI/automation work I saw happening across our GTM teams every day. I know that getting everyone bought in on this mindset is not easy, and was curious how Chili Piper had achieved this level of culture/belief around the topic. I figured the easiest way to learn how we got here was to interview Alina, co-founder and CEO, to hear how this initiative was spearheaded. What I learned is not what I expected!
AI can be a game changer, but only if everyone is on board
One thing that I believe makes Chili Piper unique, is that we have a philosophy that everyone is in charge when it comes to automation. It doesn’t matter if you’re in sales, marketing, or CS - automating as much as possible is for everyone. We even have cross-departmental slack channel and weekly meetings titled ‘Automate Everything’, and these innovations are taken into account when promotions are up for grabs. I’ve seen firsthand how this allows us to build incredible things at scale quickly - and pivot to make better decisions faster.
Alina is a firm believer in AI tools and agentic workflows. She describes herself as “completely obsessed” with AI and agents - even spending late nights experimenting with different workflows and possibilities. She sees AI as a tool that can empower each individual and team to do their job better. We have built hundreds of automations using AI agents and continue to build more and more.
“AI can help with all sorts of tasks, even things people wouldn’t think to ask AI about,” Alina shared. “It’s not just about automating reports; it’s about transforming how we approach challenges, how we process data, and ultimately how we make decisions. Why wouldn’t you use AI to upgrade your work?”
Strong data hygiene needs to be foundation
In order for these innovative and cool new processes to work, the data needs to be accurate and easily accessible. For instance - look at a tool like Snowflake. You can prompt data analysis questions to get insight into trends that might not be readily apparent. However, if your data is junk - the trends will be too.
Alina stressed this idea - AI can’t do its job without high quality and centralized data. She pointed out that companies who do well with AI are those that centralize and organize their data first. She compared it to a foundation that can be built upon. Everything else - automation, agents, insights, etc, relies on this strong foundation.
The Human Touch
Alina believes that AI (as powerful as it can be) cannot replace human connection. This is especially true when it comes to sales and marketing. She believes strongly in the importance of keeping that human element front and center in customer/prospect facing roles. For example - AI might be able to help or support with generating content or outreach, but it shouldn’t be solely responsible for it. People still seek out human interaction, and this has become even more apparent as AI becomes more commonplace.
She gave a fun anecdote about how her 5 year old son prefers playing chess with people rather than against a computer, even if the computer is always available, efficient, and faster. “It’s about human connection, seeing someone else’s emotions, seeing their joy or frustration. That’s something an AI bot just can’t replicate,” Alina explained.
Humans prefer authenticity – in real life and when buying/selling. That’s something we keep in mind at Chili Piper when it comes to customer interaction. We automate what we can, but try to be as mindful as possible about where human connection is preferred/needed. AI cannot replace the long-term real-life connections that humans naturally seek out.
Finding the Balance
Using AI as much as possible and valuing human connection is an obvious contradiction, so where is the line drawn? That was a question I harped on with Alina, especially as companies (including Chili Piper) are scaling our agentic efforts. Her answer was a meaningful one.
AI can help automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks - like creating reports, or analyzing sales trends. Relationship-building (what we believe to be most important in selling) will always need a human touch.
She noted that AI-generated text might be grammatically perfect, it lacks the natural flow and human mistakes of a real conversation. These nuances build trust and connection, which are things that AI can not replicate.
We can’t let AI take over for human interaction
When we looked to the future of where the SaaS culture is headed, Alina felt both excited and cautious. She is as bullish on AI/agentic potential as she is on the need for human connection.
She pointed out that as AI becomes more prevalent, businesses may actually choose to be more human to stand out. “People are going to get tired of all the AI-generated content, and that’s when the value of human interaction will shine through again,” she shared
It’s definitely an interesting paradox that Alina thinks could lead to even stronger and more authentic community bonds. People may begin to reject digital engagements and once again seek out face-to-face connections.
AI can and should be used by your teams to work smarter. However it is critical to understand that human connection will remain the most important in the final mile of any relationship. Alina has even coined the very official new SaaS acronym AFEEFLT-TSHBKAH (Agents For Everything Except For Last Touch - That Should be Kept all Human). Remember that as you build your flows in 2025.
When I started at Chili Piper 3 months ago, I was impressed with how much AI/automation work I saw happening across our GTM teams every day. I know that getting everyone bought in on this mindset is not easy, and was curious how Chili Piper had achieved this level of culture/belief around the topic. I figured the easiest way to learn how we got here was to interview Alina, co-founder and CEO, to hear how this initiative was spearheaded. What I learned is not what I expected!
AI can be a game changer, but only if everyone is on board
One thing that I believe makes Chili Piper unique, is that we have a philosophy that everyone is in charge when it comes to automation. It doesn’t matter if you’re in sales, marketing, or CS - automating as much as possible is for everyone. We even have cross-departmental slack channel and weekly meetings titled ‘Automate Everything’, and these innovations are taken into account when promotions are up for grabs. I’ve seen firsthand how this allows us to build incredible things at scale quickly - and pivot to make better decisions faster.
Alina is a firm believer in AI tools and agentic workflows. She describes herself as “completely obsessed” with AI and agents - even spending late nights experimenting with different workflows and possibilities. She sees AI as a tool that can empower each individual and team to do their job better. We have built hundreds of automations using AI agents and continue to build more and more.
“AI can help with all sorts of tasks, even things people wouldn’t think to ask AI about,” Alina shared. “It’s not just about automating reports; it’s about transforming how we approach challenges, how we process data, and ultimately how we make decisions. Why wouldn’t you use AI to upgrade your work?”
Strong data hygiene needs to be foundation
In order for these innovative and cool new processes to work, the data needs to be accurate and easily accessible. For instance - look at a tool like Snowflake. You can prompt data analysis questions to get insight into trends that might not be readily apparent. However, if your data is junk - the trends will be too.
Alina stressed this idea - AI can’t do its job without high quality and centralized data. She pointed out that companies who do well with AI are those that centralize and organize their data first. She compared it to a foundation that can be built upon. Everything else - automation, agents, insights, etc, relies on this strong foundation.
The Human Touch
Alina believes that AI (as powerful as it can be) cannot replace human connection. This is especially true when it comes to sales and marketing. She believes strongly in the importance of keeping that human element front and center in customer/prospect facing roles. For example - AI might be able to help or support with generating content or outreach, but it shouldn’t be solely responsible for it. People still seek out human interaction, and this has become even more apparent as AI becomes more commonplace.
She gave a fun anecdote about how her 5 year old son prefers playing chess with people rather than against a computer, even if the computer is always available, efficient, and faster. “It’s about human connection, seeing someone else’s emotions, seeing their joy or frustration. That’s something an AI bot just can’t replicate,” Alina explained.
Humans prefer authenticity – in real life and when buying/selling. That’s something we keep in mind at Chili Piper when it comes to customer interaction. We automate what we can, but try to be as mindful as possible about where human connection is preferred/needed. AI cannot replace the long-term real-life connections that humans naturally seek out.
Finding the Balance
Using AI as much as possible and valuing human connection is an obvious contradiction, so where is the line drawn? That was a question I harped on with Alina, especially as companies (including Chili Piper) are scaling our agentic efforts. Her answer was a meaningful one.
AI can help automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks - like creating reports, or analyzing sales trends. Relationship-building (what we believe to be most important in selling) will always need a human touch.
She noted that AI-generated text might be grammatically perfect, it lacks the natural flow and human mistakes of a real conversation. These nuances build trust and connection, which are things that AI can not replicate.
We can’t let AI take over for human interaction
When we looked to the future of where the SaaS culture is headed, Alina felt both excited and cautious. She is as bullish on AI/agentic potential as she is on the need for human connection.
She pointed out that as AI becomes more prevalent, businesses may actually choose to be more human to stand out. “People are going to get tired of all the AI-generated content, and that’s when the value of human interaction will shine through again,” she shared
It’s definitely an interesting paradox that Alina thinks could lead to even stronger and more authentic community bonds. People may begin to reject digital engagements and once again seek out face-to-face connections.
AI can and should be used by your teams to work smarter. However it is critical to understand that human connection will remain the most important in the final mile of any relationship. Alina has even coined the very official new SaaS acronym AFEEFLT-TSHBKAH (Agents For Everything Except For Last Touch - That Should be Kept all Human). Remember that as you build your flows in 2025.
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