As founders look to an AI-driven future, Gusto’s co-founder and head of technology Edward Kim advises against cutting teams to hire specialized AI engineers. He believes non-technical team members, who understand customer needs deeply, are better positioned to guide AI tool development.
In a TechCrunch interview, Kim shared Gusto’s AI strategy. Non-technical customer experience team members write “recipes” for their AI assistant, Gus. Gus, launched last month, seamlessly integrates AI into customer interactions.
Kim emphasized that technically-minded non-engineers at Gusto are creating powerful AI tools, like the CoPilot tool, already handling 2,000-3,000 daily interactions since its June rollout. Gusto upskills its team to build AI applications, leveraging their domain expertise.
Gus, Gusto’s flagship AI product, eliminates redundant AI buttons and offers a cleaner interface, popping up when needed to assist users. Kim explained that AI development has become more accessible, enabling non-engineers to build game-changing applications.
Eric Rodriguez, a former customer support member turned engineer, developed the CoPilot tool, transforming support workflows. The tool accesses Gusto’s internal knowledge base to answer questions, verified by humans before reaching customers.
Kim noted that Gusto’s approach involves non-technical teams writing AI recipes, improving efficiency, and customer experience. He argued that domain experts, rather than AI specialists, are best suited to advance AI applications, moving away from top-down mandates.
