As AI rises in customer service, trust falls
- 57% would trust a brand less relying predominantly on AI
- 73% are more loyal to companies using real people
- 85% want businesses to disclose AI service interactions
- Consumer distrust rose from 53% the previous year
OREGON, UNITED STATES — Consumer trust in businesses is falling as artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in customer service grows, with 57% of consumers saying they would trust a brand less if it relied predominantly on AI for support interactions, up from 53% the previous year.
AnswerConnect survey: trust declines as AI replaces human agents
Natalie Ruiz, chief executive officer (CEO) of AnswerConnect, wrote in Forbes Business Council that businesses automating customer service at the expense of human interaction are trading long-term loyalty for short-term efficiency gains, warning that “in the race to automate customer experience, many may be eroding the very thing that fuels long-term growth — customer loyalty.”
AnswerConnect‘s 2026 AI Customer Service Attitudes Report found that 73% of consumers said they are more loyal to companies that employ real people for service interactions, up from 69% the prior year.
A total of 57% of respondents said they would trust a brand less if it relied predominantly on AI for customer service, an increase from 53% the previous year.
Consumers demand transparency as AI channels gain ground
“When AI answers, customers feel handled, not heard, making it harder to cultivate trust and loyalty,” Ruiz wrote.
A full 85% of survey respondents said businesses should clearly disclose when customers are interacting with AI rather than a human agent, reflecting a shift in consumer expectations from preference to baseline demand.
Ruiz framed the pattern as a direct revenue risk for organizations treating automation as a cost-reduction strategy: “Trust and loyalty aren’t soft metrics; they’re your revenue line.”
The AnswerConnect findings connect directly to the sourcing case for offshore outsourcing and business process outsourcing (BPO) capacity, where human agents remain the primary differentiator in service models competing against automated alternatives.
When AI-first contact center models erode consumer trust, top BPO companies worldwide that integrate skilled human agents with AI tooling are positioned to capture accounts that purely automated operations lose.
AnswerConnect’s 2026 data confirms that consumer trust and brand loyalty are declining in step with AI adoption in customer service.
For enterprise buyers weighing automation against outsourcing investments, the trust data frames undisclosed AI use as a loyalty liability rather than a cost benefit.
Offshore BPO operations that maintain trained human agent capacity alongside AI are positioned to win accounts that AI-only models are now losing.
Related news
- Customer trust erodes amid AI-driven message overload, says CX expert · 2 Dec 2025
- AI in customer service improves CX yet also drives churn · 20 Apr
- AI tools, transparency key to retaining customers in 2026: Capgemini · 9 Jan
Disclosure: Outsource Accelerator uses AI tools in the backend of its editorial workflow. Every article is reviewed and verified by a human editor before publication.
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