Consumers don’t yet trust artificial intelligence (AI) to give them the customer service experiences they demand, according to research conducted by Pegasystems Inc., The Enterprise Transformation Company™, and YouGov.

“Businesses must build back consumer trust by moving past simple chatbots and deploying predictable AI agents that consistently get work done on behalf of customers” Simon Thorpe, director, Pega.

The study polled more than 4,700 consumers from North America and the United Kingdom on consumer perceptions of artificial intelligence and how businesses use it. It found consumers are fed up with inaccurate, unpredictable AI-driven experiences, pointing the finger of blame not at the technology itself, but instead at the way businesses are using it with them.

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Two-thirds (64%) of consumers reported they are either “not very confident” or “not at all confident” in the way businesses use GenAI when interacting with them, while more than half (53%) lacked confidence that organizations use GenAI responsibly.

This distrust in business use of AI is fueled by a number of factors:

• AI needs to be more reliable: Almost half (46%) of respondents said they either “rarely” or “never” get successful customer service outcomes through AI-powered interactions, raising questions about how accurately businesses are implementing these solutions. A similar number (48%) don’t trust businesses using AI to completely handle their customer service interactions as a result.
• AI can’t match the human touch: 77% of consumers say they “always” or “often” achieve better outcomes when dealing only with a human. Meanwhile, two-thirds (66%) prefer human-led support, suggesting businesses aren’t doing a good enough job of empowering AI to provide the right customer experiences. By comparison, just two percent want to interact exclusively with GenAI chatbots, indicating that businesses must radically rethink their approach to deploying AI for customer service if they are to build confidence and trust, and provide better outcomes.
• Successful AI blends into the background: While nearly half (48%) say they never actively choose to use GenAI in everyday tasks, there’s also evidence to suggest that consumers are sanguine about its use when implemented effectively, and accept becoming more aware that it is something that is already becoming a part of their daily lives. Just 14% say they actively choose to use AI less than once a month, with just 9% saying they choose to use it every day. Despite this, one quarter (24%) thinks they probably use it every day without realizing it.

Quotes & Commentary:

“AI can be transformational for customer service – but it has to live up to customer expectations,” said Simon Thorpe, director, Pega. “There’s a simple reason why we’re seeing a lack of consumer trust in the use of AI. There are just too many first-hand examples of businesses deploying these tools in ways that lead to dead ends and frustration. Businesses must build back consumer trust by moving past simple chatbots and deploying predictable AI agents that consistently get work done on behalf of customers. If businesses can use AI to make customer service faster and easier, they can drive massive new efficiencies while retaining customer trust.”