380: TGI Friday’s Chief Experience Officer Sherif Mityas highlights the importance of intertwining strategy and technology, and he argues that because of the overlap between the two, that every CIO should serve in the Chief Experience Officer role. From his perspective, every CIO today is dealing with the experience of the customer because, from an experiential perspective, technology permeates everything that the guest does. Technologies, such as artificial intelligence and voice-assisted devices, have provided the company with ways to better understand and engage with their guests. By leveraging AI specifically, the organization has shifted from a one size fits all approach to a more specific engagement, which provides a more relevant, frictionless, and convenient experience for the guest. We also discuss the ways in which the company segments the guest journey, the use case Sherif’s sees for blockchain, and how companies need to engage with the consumer.