The Modern Customer Podcast Winning with AI Without an AI Strategy
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Jan 20, 2026 Peter Zimbach, a senior technology and transformation executive and former VP of Experience Innovation at Aramark, shares insights on integrating AI into business without a standalone strategy. He promotes a focus on human experience and measurable outcomes rather than just tech hype. Zimbach discusses the importance of storytelling and partnerships in driving growth and highlights early AI implementations at Aramark. He emphasizes a learning mindset, encouraging companies to adapt boldly while enhancing employee productivity with AI, ensuring technology amplifies rather than replaces human value.
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Emerge: Experience-Led Innovation Lab
- Peter founded Emerge at Aramark to design experiences first and then apply technology to deliver them.
- Emerge aimed to differentiate offerings, tell a compelling story, and build the ecosystem to scale those experiences.
Prioritize Experience Over AI Strategy
- Do not build a standalone AI or technology strategy; build an experience strategy tied to outcomes and revenue.
- Anchor technology choices to customer and employee experiences so AI serves execution, not strategy.
Early Conversational AI Pilots
- Aramark experimented with conversational AI early, using Apple Business Chat and other pilots from 2015 onward.
- Some pilots had high repeat usage but failed to scale due to integration and data architecture gaps.