This episode was recorded LIVE at DDX, where Beyond The Interface hosted an on-stage conversation with Qaalfa Dibeehi, Partner at Human2Outcome.

We unpack one of the most pressing questions facing design and research teams today:

Are synthetic personas and agentic AI reshaping the future of user research… or simply augmenting it?

In this conversation, we explore:

• What “agentic AI” actually means in practice

• How synthetic personas are evolving — and where they break

• The risks of bias amplification in AI-driven systems

• Ethics, privacy, and the responsibility of organizations using AI for research

• Whether AI reduces or magnifies blind spots in decision-making

• The role of human judgment in an increasingly automated world

• What this means for retail, omnichannel experiences, and customer trust

Rather than treating AI as hype or fear, this discussion takes a grounded approach, examining how research fundamentals still matter, even as the tools evolve.

If you’re working in product, design, research, CX, or AI strategy, this episode will challenge how you think about insight, governance, and the future of decision-making.

Qaalfa Dibeehi is a Customer-Led Transformation Strategist, author, and keynote speaker. Founder of Human2outcome and former VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research. Former Dean of the Majid Al Futtaim Leadership Institute and Board Director at the Customer Institute. He has worked with organisations across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia on customer experience, behavioural science, and customer-led transformation.