A survey of 3,000 people by AI customer-support company Gradient Labs finds that 80% have deliberately tried to get past an AI agent to reach a human. The same research shows that speed changes the answer: 49% would take an AI fix today over a human tomorrow.
The result fits wider evidence of a backlash against automated service. An AnswerConnect study of 6,000 consumers found 85% prefer a human. In the Gradient Labs survey, only 21% said nothing would make them choose AI over a person.
When asked what would tip the choice, 36% cited 24/7 availability, 30% faster responses and 28% not having to wait on hold.
A second Gradient Labs survey, of 2,000 travellers, found that half had a card, payment or banking problem abroad in the past two years, and only one in four got through quickly and had the issue resolved.
Dimitri Masin, CEO and co-founder of Gradient Labs, said: “Imagine it’s 11 p.m., you’re in a foreign country, your card has just been declined, and the bank’s hold music is playing on a loop. Would you rather speak to a human tomorrow or an AI right now?”
He argued that vertical AI agents working alongside human teams can respond instantly at any hour and, when a problem cannot be solved, hand it to a human specialist with full context.
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