- For each person who prefers to interact with AI, 4.4 prefer to speak with humans
- Baby-Boomers are seriously anti-Ai when it comes to customer service
- The report highlights the value of the human connection
According to a new OKTA investigation, 70% of consumers prefer to interact with humans, with only 16% opting for human agents.
In the United Kingdom, this trend is even more pronounced, with only 11% prefer interactions of AI agents and one in two (54%) who do not even trust AI with their personal data.
In addition, just one in three (36%) see the real benefit in AI agents completely, suggesting that technology that improves productivity may not be more useful in customer service configuration.
Consumers just want humans
Artificial intelligence is more valued in the translation of language, research and writing, the results that are oriented to tasks, instead of transactional conversations that are typical of customer service agents.
Worldwide, Okta discovered that the proportion of those who prefer humans to those who prefer AI is 4.4: 1, however, countries like the United States (4.2: 1), Japan (3.4: 1) and India (1.1: 1) were less worried about talking to humans. Even so, no country obtained a higher score for AI, highlighting the importance of human interaction and participation in customer service.
Okta also compared generations, with greatly less likely Baby-Boomers to want to talk to AI (41.5: 1) -Many more than generation X (9.8: 1), Millennials (3.2: 1) and generation Z (2.3: 1).
In a nutshell, it is the human touch that gives humans the upper edge: “A human better understands my needs,” said two out of three (64%) surveyed. Frustration when it comes to AI agents was also a significant frustration (38%).
However, there are some benefits to interact with AI, including faster and faster responses without emotional bias.
Looking towards the future, Okta asks for a measured and calculated approach for AI agents, creating security and privacy initiatives first in them from the beginning. “Finally, do not ignore the value of human agents: if one thing is clear in the survey, it is that users still value that human connection,” the report concludes.
