For decades, executives have relied on KPIs as dashboards of business health. Yet too often, these metrics reflect the past instead of shaping the future. In this episode of The CX Iconoclast podcast, Richard Owen, Brian Curry, and MIT’s Michael Schrage explore how artificial intelligence is redefining KPIs—not just reporting outcomes but actively guiding decisions.

Traditional CX and financial KPIs provided visibility, but they were rarely predictive. Net Promoter Score, Customer Satisfaction, and Customer Effort Score gave snapshots of attitudes, while financial measures like CLV or NRR quantified value creation. Useful, yes, but reactive. As Customer AI Masterclass lesson 1.3 explains, NPS and CSAT capture sentiment, but they must evolve into predictive frameworks that tie directly to revenue impact.

AI makes that leap possible. Predictive models turn KPIs into early warning systems, revealing churn risks and upsell opportunities months in advance. Prescriptive AI then goes further, recommending next best actions to optimize outcomes (Customer AI Masterclass lesson 5.6). The KPI ceases to be static; it becomes an instrument for intervention.

Michael Schrage argues in The CX Iconoclast interview that AI-enabled KPIs fundamentally change how organizations think about accountability. Instead of dashboards that managers review after the fact, KPIs become dynamic signals embedded in daily operations. Customer AI amplifies this by connecting journey data, attitudinal signals, and financial outcomes (lesson 3.3: The Customer AI Data Architecture). The result: leaders can see not just what happened, but what to do next.

This is the Moneyball moment for CX, CS, and RevOps. Just as analytics transformed baseball by challenging intuition, AI-driven KPIs transform customer management by exposing hidden inefficiencies and unlocking new growth (lesson 4.1: Moneyball for the Modern Corporation).

The Customer AI Masterclass teaches leaders how to redesign their KPI systems for this new era—integrating predictive and prescriptive analytics to drive retention, expansion, and NRR growth. The lesson is clear: if your KPIs aren’t helping you act, they’re holding you back.

👉 Listen to the full CX Iconoclast interview with MIT’s Michael Schrage here.