AI's success in customer service hinges on dedicated ownership and strategic roles, as highlighted in a series exploring planning for 2026. Key roles include the AI operations lead, who ensures system quality and reliability through constant monitoring and improvement; the knowledge manager, tasked with maintaining and structuring the content AI relies on; the conversation designer, who crafts the AI's tone and interaction style to enhance customer trust and experience; and the support automation specialist, who builds backend workflows for effective AI actions. These roles collectively form a dynamic loop that enhances AI performance, transitioning from basic automation to comprehensive, transformative solutions. Teams often gradually adopt these roles, starting with partial responsibilities and eventually hiring specialists as AI handles more significant workloads, indicating the evolving nature of AI-first support organizations.