Consumers favour AI agents when resolution is guaranteed

NiCE has published research showing that more consumers will choose an AI customer service agent when a resolution is guaranteed. The survey found that trust remains the most important factor in customer interactions.

The quarterly study, carried out with Metrigy, surveyed 1,000 adults in the United States and tracked attitudes to AI in customer service against a Q1 2026 baseline. It found that 28.8% of respondents would choose an AI agent if their issue was certain to be resolved, up from 23% in the first quarter.

The findings suggest consumers value reliability more than novelty as companies expand AI across service channels. Trust ranked first for the third consecutive quarter, selected by 41% of respondents as the most important factor in their dealings with businesses, ahead of resolution at 35.4%.

Accuracy was also the main reason consumers chose a service channel, cited by 54.7% of respondents. This suggests acceptance of AI depends less on the technology itself and more on whether customers believe it will solve a problem correctly.

Human support

The research also indicates that many consumers still want people involved in the service process. Almost four in 10 respondents, or 39.4%, preferred a model in which AI and human agents switch automatically depending on the complexity of the issue.

Another 37% preferred human-led service supported by AI, while 23.6% favoured AI-led service with human help available when needed. The results point to stronger demand for blended service models than for fully automated ones.

Consumers also valued having a choice. Nearly two-thirds, or 63.9%, said they would pay more for better service, and the most valued premium feature was the option to choose between an AI agent and a person, selected by 37% of respondents.

Tolerance for poor service also appears to be falling. Respondents said they would accept an average of 2.78 bad experiences before leaving a company, down from 3.24 in Q1.

Sector trends

The study tracked movement across eight customer experience measures, with AI satisfaction and AI trust showing the biggest gains since the baseline period. The AI Satisfaction Index reached 109.4, while the AI Trust Index rose to 106.9.

Among the sectors covered, retail recorded the strongest improvement in AI performance. Its AI Index reached 108.1 against its own Q1 baseline, although its broader customer experience index remained below that level.

The report also identified a generational divide in attitudes to AI. Adults aged 25 to 34 were the most positive group, with 74.4% saying they expected AI to improve customer service over the next two years, compared with 49.5% overall.

Use of AI tools was also higher in that age group. Some 39.7% said they had used an AI text agent, compared with 26.2% across the full sample.

Although the research surveyed US consumers, the findings are likely to draw attention from businesses in Australia as companies invest in AI-led customer service while trying to maintain service standards and customer loyalty.

Arun Chandra, Chief Operating Officer at NiCE, said: "AI adoption is earned every time a customer gets the help they need. The next wave of adoption depends on AI agents that understand the customer, take action and carry the context forward when a person needs to step in. NiCE brings together NiCE Cognigy and NiCE CXone to help enterprises connect AI agents, workflows and human expertise, turning AI innovation into customer experiences that build trust."

Metrigy said the data showed consumers were becoming more willing to engage with AI when the outcome was dependable and escalation to a person remained straightforward.

"Trust isn't a soft metric anymore. It's the one that decides whether a customer comes back," said Robin Gareiss, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Analyst for AI and CX at Metrigy. "Consumers are more open to AI when they can count on a resolution, and they're now sending personal AI agents to negotiate, escalate and decide for them. Those agents will recommend the brands they can trust. The opportunity for businesses is to earn that trust consistently, with every customer and every agent, and make it easy to reach a person when the situation calls for one."