Hansenberg alumni visit Frankfurt School - keynote on AI and customer relationships

Connecting networks, fostering new connections and friendships—that was the goal Angelika Werner, Vice President Strategic Relations at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, had in mind when she extended an invitation to the Hansenberg Alumni Foundation. Moreover, she wanted to highlight the research strength of the business school and, through a concrete example, demonstrate how timely and relevant research at Frankfurt School is.

About 30 Hansenberg alumni, as well as several Frankfurt School graduates, accepted the invitation. Dr Niklas Garnadt, member of the Board of Advisors of the Schloss Hansenberg Alumni Foundation and Senior Economist for Germany at Goldman Sachs, expressed his gratitude for the invitation and was delighted to get to know current research insights from Frankfurt School and the inspiring discussion.

Between Code and Empathy: How Generative AI Is Reshaping Customer Relationships

Professor Christian Schulze, marketing professor at Frankfurt School, focuses his research on customer relationships in B2B and B2C contexts. In his keynote, he presented where generative AI already creates added value for customer relationships today—and where its limitations lie. His studies show that AI has not completely replaced current search engines. Users have not yet developed a deep relationship of trust with AI-based recommendations; at the same time, many AI solutions are not designed to provide purchase recommendations.

In the inspiring discussion that followed, the guests shared their experiences with AI. On the one hand, many participants were convinced that AI would profoundly transform society and the workplace. On the other hand, limitations were discussed: How could young people with little life experience interpret AI suggestions and make sound decisions?

The guests enjoyed the successful evening, exchanged contact information, and agreed to hold another discussion evening soon.