Consumers do not yet trust artificial intelligence to give them the customer service experiences they demand, according to research conducted by Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA) and YouGov. The study polled more than 2,200 consumers from 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. Over two-thirds (68%) 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 (54%) lacked confidence that organisations use GenAI responsibly.
Key Findings
AI needs to be more reliable: Half (50%) of respondents said they either rarely or never get successful customer service outcomes through AI-powered interactions only.
AI cannot match the human touch: 80% of consumers say they always or often achieve better outcomes when dealing only with a human. Just 2% want to interact exclusively with GenAI chatbots.
Successful AI blends into the background: While nearly half (49%) say they never actively choose to use GenAI in everyday tasks, over one quarter (26%) thinks they probably use it every day without realising it.
AI can be transformational for customer service but it has to live up to customer expectations. 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.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,222 in the UK. YouGov undertook all fieldwork between 4th and 13th November 2025. The survey was carried out online.
