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Exploring the Roles of LLMs for Support

Matt Lewis works inside an LLM company and runs its support. He separates the AI hype from the tools that already work — and those about to change the industry.

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with Matt Lewis, Head of User Operations at AI 21 Labs

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36:13

Introduction

Few people sit at the intersection Matt Lewis occupies: he runs user operations at AI21 Labs, an LLM company — which means he supports customers with the very technology everyone is speculating about.

Recorded as the first wave of the LLM boom hit support, this conversation separates signal from noise: the mature tools worth adopting immediately, how AI21 automated over 90% of its B2C volume while keeping satisfaction high, and how to interrogate vendors so you buy real language-model capability instead of a marketing sticker.

What you will learn in this episode

  • The two LLM tool categories that were already mature: paraphrasing and summarizing

  • How AI21 Labs pushed B2C automation past 90% without tanking CSAT

  • Questions that expose whether a vendor really uses modern LLMs

  • Why context and knowledge bases determine what AI can actually resolve

  • What the AI wave means for support careers — and how to stay ahead of it

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