For most of human history, most people lived in tight-knit communities where every interaction was inherently personalized. As city-states emerged and populations grew, personalized experiences remained the norm, and it’s only relatively recently that impersonal or anonymous exchanges became common. But because of our hardwired affinity for familiarity, we appreciate when a barista knows our name and order, a clothing retailer knows our size and style preferences, or a friend recommends a movie based on what we’ve both enjoyed. It’s no surprise that, in the digital world, brands try to emulate such individualized service. Over the years, personalization has matured from simple field insertions (e.g., name and title in an email) to AI-driven predictive algorithms attempting to anticipate your needs and wants (e.g., a recommendation engine based on your inferred interests and motivations). Today, personalization is everywhere, and it’s getting smarter. Research suggests 92% of companies are using AI-driven personalization.