Will Empathy Outlast AI-Powered Everything?
As communication tools race to add AI features, Intermedia’s Irina Shamkova argues that simplicity, trust, and empathy will define the next era of workplace tech.
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In 2025, communication technology isn’t judged only by how fast it moves messages or how many tasks it streamlines. The real test is more human: does it reduce stress, build trust, and make people feel genuinely connected at work? From scrappy SMBs to global enterprises, users now expect tools that are simple, flexible, and mindful of cognitive load.
“If it comes down to choosing between a simpler UX and a popular new feature, simplicity always wins,” says Irina Shamkova, Chief Product Officer at Intermedia Cloud Communications. For SMBs in particular, ease of use isn’t just important—it’s critical. Overly complex tools, no matter how feature-rich, quickly become barriers to adoption.
In this exclusive interview, Shamkova argues that the future of communication tools will be defined less by labels like “AI-powered” and more by whether they act as empathetic, intuitive, and transparent partners in how people work.
Excerpts from the interview:
We often design for productivity, but what are the emotional or psychological needs that modern communication tools must meet for business users today?
Indeed, while modern communication tools must effectively support productivity, they also need to make users feel at ease and in control. At Intermedia, we’ve noticed people value feeling connected and part of a team, especially when working remotely or in hybrid setups.
They want tools that make them feel confident, appreciated, and supported by helping them quickly find the right information, clearly express their ideas, and handle everyday tasks without hassle. When employees feel their tools “have their back,” they’re more relaxed, happier at work, and motivated to do their best.
In a world of constant pings and notifications, how do you distinguish between enabling communication and overwhelming users? Where is the line between connection and cognitive load?
It’s easy for communication to cross the line into distraction, and finding the right balance is essential for both internal communications and especially critical in contact centres. Internally, employees need timely, relevant information without constant interruptions, making thoughtful design crucial.
In contact centres, agents face even greater stress from continuous calls, chats, and emails. At Intermedia, we carefully perform usability studies and use AI-driven solutions specifically designed to deliver necessary information exactly when and where it’s needed.
By automating repetitive tasks, agents can concentrate on vital customer interactions, lowering their cognitive load and stress levels. We approach this delicate balance mindfully, ensuring our tools genuinely support agents and internal users alike, enhancing overall productivity and confidence in their roles.
If you had to choose between simplifying UX or adding an in-demand feature, what wins and why? What does that say about user priorities in 2025?
If it comes down to choosing between a simpler UX and a popular new feature, simplicity always wins. At Intermedia, our primary focus is supporting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), where ease of use isn’t just important—it’s critical. We’ve found that our SMB customers quickly become frustrated with overly complicated tools, even if those tools offer valuable features.
This is why ease of use is a critical acceptance criterion for every new feature we launch. Without it, we simply can’t effectively support hundreds of SMB customers. Of course, features matter too, and we continuously strive for the right balance. But if a new feature isn’t intuitive and straightforward, its value becomes severely limited.
Ultimately, keeping our tools simple and intuitive ensures our SMB customers can quickly and confidently integrate new capabilities into their daily routines, making technology a helpful partner rather than a source of complexity.
As AI becomes embedded in communication tools, how do you decide what to automate versus what to leave human? Where do business users want “smart” tools to step in and where to step back?
We see that while AI technology often advances rapidly, customers’ readiness to adopt these innovations may take more time. Initially, businesses and users are most comfortable with AI handling repetitive and time-consuming tasks such as scheduling meetings, summarizing conversations, performing identity verification, answering basic questions, or quickly retrieving information.
Automating these routine tasks helps users focus on more meaningful, creative, and strategic activities. However, we carefully evaluate which tasks should remain human-driven – typically those requiring empathy, nuanced judgment, or complex communication.
As companies and individuals become more experienced with and trusting of AI, we anticipate more sophisticated tasks being assigned to it. However, maintaining full transparency about AI processes and outcomes will remain essential for user confidence and acceptance.
Most tools keep adding features, yet many users still feel friction. What does this tell you about how product teams misread user needs and how should that change?
When users feel frustrated despite a tool having many features, it usually means those features aren’t directly solving their real-world challenges. Effective product teams deeply understand user behavior by closely observing, listening, and analysing how people actually work.
Instead of simply adding more features, teams should focus on identifying and addressing practical, everyday issues that users encounter. Prioritizing usability and intuitive design ensures that new features are indeed helpful, reducing complexity rather than adding unnecessary layers.
What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve learned from watching how users actually use your tools—not what they say, but what they do?
One surprising insight we’ve discovered at Intermedia is how creative people are with communication tools. Users often adapt features in ways we didn’t initially anticipate, such as using messaging channels for customer support or quick project coordination.
This has taught us that flexibility is crucial – designing tools that users can easily adapt to their unique situations helps them solve problems we hadn’t even thought of. Paying attention to actual user behavior, rather than just feedback, helps ensure we’re designing for how work really happens – not how we assume it should.
If you could kill one buzzword or trend in the communication tech space right now, what would it be and what real user need is being overlooked because of it?
I’d look to retire the buzzword “AI-Powered Everything.” The term has become a catch-all buzzword that’s often used more to create hype than clarity. It’s frequently slapped onto products to imply innovation, but too often there’s little depth, transparency, or actual user value behind it.
While AI has great potential, branding everything as “AI-powered” can create unrealistic expectations or confusion about what AI can practically achieve today. Businesses and users need clear, practical insights about how AI supports their daily tasks. Instead of using broad labels, it’s better to clearly articulate how AI specifically helps with automating routine tasks, enhancing decisions, or providing timely insights.
As users gain more experience and trust in AI, clearly explaining how AI works and what outcomes to expect will become crucial. Transparency ensures users feel comfortable, confident, and genuinely understand how AI impacts their daily tasks.
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