HOSTED BY FUEL IX AGENT TRAINER
Shift: The human + AI CX summit
Join a virtual, interactive summit where CX, contact center and AI training leaders share practical insights on how human agents and AI work better together.
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT
Location: Virtual event
* Please note that presentations will be conducted in English.
WHY ATTEND?
The CX shift is already happening.
Rising customer expectations, high agent turnover and growing cost pressure are forcing contact centers to rethink how work gets done. Shift cuts through the hype to show how AI can responsibly augment human agents to improve performance, consistency and customer outcomes.
Key benefits of attending:
- Understand how human and AI collaboration is redefining the role of the contact center agent.
- Learn proven strategies to reduce time to proficiency and agent attrition.
- Explore best practices in simulation-based training, coaching and onboarding.
- See real-world examples of AI augmenting agents before, during and after the call.
- Gain practical frameworks for responsible AI adoption in regulated and complex environments.
- Connect with peers and experts shaping the future of customer experience.
* Please note that presentations will be conducted in English.
EVENT AGENDA
February 19, 2026 | Virtual event
Welcome and keynote
12:00 – Welcome to Shift: The human + AI CX summit
Bret Kinsella, SVP / GM, Fuel iX, TELUS Digital
Grounded in experience from the world’s largest contact centers, Bret Kinsella opens Shift with a clear roadmap beyond the hype. This session sets the stage for a new, human-centric standard for AI in customer experience.
12:05 – Shift: Humans, AI and the future of customer experience
Mitch Lieberman, VP, Product, CX, TELUS Digital executive keynote
Mitch Lieberman explores the seismic shift from AI as a tool to a collaborator. This keynote frames the realities of the market and technology landscape, and offers a glimpse into the future of personalization and the CX agent’s changing role, coaxing leaders to consider the critical balance between technology and the human touch.
Strategy and data
12:25 – Inside the CX + AI strategy divide: What top contact centers do differently
Jen Ware, Principal, Strategy Consulting, TELUS Digital
Mitch Lieberman, VP, Product, CX, TELUS Digital
Discover the most revealing insights from more than 40 global contact centers as Mitch Lieberman sits down with Jen Ware to explore why some organizations accelerate with AI while others stall. This fireside chat highlights the strategic pivots that separate CX leaders from laggards.
12:45 – Adapt or atrophy: The CX leader’s guide to the AI era
Erin Walker, Global VP, Strategic Operations & Enablement, TELUS Digital
Mitch Lieberman, VP, Product, CX, TELUS Digital
Mastery of the CX Shift requires experience-based learning over theory. In this fireside chat, Erin Walker shares insights from global brands on why human augmentation is the key to scaling performance, and together with Mitch Lieberman, explores how to move beyond legacy processes toward a high-performance, augmented future.
1:05 – Break
Training and agent readiness
1:10 – Best practices in training call center agents
Bryan Acker, Senior Director, Operations Training, TELUS Digital
Bret Kinsella, SVP / GM, Fuel iX, TELUS Digital
Bryan Acker bridges high-level strategy with operational excellence. In this conversation with Bret Kinsella, he reveals how to navigate the CX Shift by augmenting traditional training with AI simulations that replicate high-stakes scenarios, sharing data-driven methods to optimize agent proficiency and performance at a global scale.
1:30 – Portfolio spotlight: Practical innovation at scale
Mitch Lieberman, VP, Product, TELUS Digital, presentation and demo
See how AI-driven solutions transform agent training and support. Through live demos, Mitch Lieberman shows how organizations can scale onboarding, reduce churn and augment human performance with purpose-built CX solutions.
Market insight
1:50 – Inside the CX Market: Investment signals every leader should watch
Ivan Kotzev, Senior Research Analyst, NelsonHall
A data-driven view of the CX and contact center market. In this presentation, the analyst breaks down current buyer priorities, investment patterns and vendor differentiation—cutting through the hype to explain what’s actually driving ROI today and what leaders should prepare for next.
2:20 – AI at the CX frontier: Lessons from the front lines
Bret Kinsella, SVP / GM, Fuel iX, TELUS Digital
Nicole Earnshaw, VP, Client Success, Strategic Accounts, TELUS Digital
Ivan Kotzev, Senior Research Analyst, NelsonHall
More panelists to be announced soon!
This interactive roundtable explores where human advantage compounds with AI to deliver measurable business impact. Panelists discuss real-world successes, challenges, ethical considerations and what leaders should prioritize next.
Closing and next steps
2:50 – What’s next: The CX shift forward
Bret Kinsella, SVP / GM, Fuel iX, TELUS Digital
Bret Kinsella closes the summit by synthesizing key insights into a practical roadmap for implementation. Walk away with clear next steps for applying human and AI strategies in your contact center today.
* Please note that presentations will be conducted in English.
SPEAKERS
Hear from CX, AI and training leaders shaping the future of customer experience.
Bret Kinsella
Mitch Lieberman
SVP / GM, Fuel iX,
TELUS Digital
VP, Product,
TELUS Digital
Erin Walker
Jen Ware
Global VP, Strategic Operations & Enablement, TELUS Digital
Principal, Strategy Consulting,
TELUS Digital
Nicole Earnshaw
Bryan Acker
Senior Director, Operations Training, TELUS Digital
VP, Client Success, Strategic Accounts, TELUS Digital
Ivan Kotzev
Senior Research Analyst,
NelsonHall
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