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Teleperformance Vice President Hanief Sallie explores how predictive tools, agentic models, and inclusive design transform citizen services across digital and physical touchpoints.
Over two to four billion people have interacted with AI tools in the last two years, often without realizing it. Conversations are shifting from search engines to smart assistants, and digital interactions are rapidly evolving from static to predictive, emotionally intelligent exchanges. This shift isn’t just about technological advancement—it’s about redefining how governments and organizations connect with citizens across demographics.
At the Govtech Conclave 2025, Hanief Sallie, Vice President at Teleperformance, took the stage to explore The Role of AI and EI in Delivering Exceptional Citizen Services. Sallie offered a high-level view and on-the-ground anecdotes to unpack how the fusion of AI and emotional intelligence (EI) is shaping the next generation of citizen experiences.
Key Takeaways:
- AI + EI = TI (Total Intelligence): Blending AI with EI leads to Total Intelligence. The goal is not to automate empathy out of the process but to augment service delivery by aligning technological capabilities with human-centered values.
- The phygital frontier: The next frontier lies in merging physical and digital experiences—where robots are integrated with large language models like ChatGPT to perform tasks in real-world environments, such as helping users troubleshoot devices in real time using computer vision and generative tools.
- Readiness and reality gaps: Despite the rapid tech evolution, most organizations—even in advanced markets—are not yet ready to offer fully autonomous, seamless virtual assistant-driven services. The infrastructure, personalization, and system integration still lag behind user expectations.
- Keeping the human at the center: From healthcare bots showing empathy to elderly citizens seeking social grants, Sallie made a compelling case that while AI enables efficiency, human agents remain irreplaceable—especially in high-emotion or complex contexts.
- Smart workforce, not smaller workforce: In the future operating model, AI doesn’t displace the human workforce—it transforms it. HR, IT, and training departments will have to upskill both humans and AI agents to deliver ethical, brand-aligned, and responsible services.
For a deeper dive into these themes, watch Leveraging AI for CX Automation in Public Sector Contact Centers panel from GovTech Conclave 2025.
Our sponsors include Presenting Partner e& enterprise; Video Collaboration Partners Logitech and ASBIS; Consulting Partner Sia; Education Partner Coursera; Gold Partners TP and Verint; Silver Partners Liferay and Protiviti; and Exhibiting Partners Beinex, ManageEngine, Prezlab, Answered by Aramex, and Airia – Enterprise AI Simplified.
