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   70% of people are sick of talking to AI -- where did all the humans go?   
      
   Date:   
   Thu, 26 Jun 2025 12:09:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Most customers prefer to speak with real human agents rather than AI -- only   
   one country comes close to a near 50:50 preference for both.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   According to new research from Okta, 70% of consumers prefer interacting with   
   humans, with only 16% opting for AI agents over humans.    
      
   In the UK, this trend is even more pronounced, with just 11% preferring AI   
   agent interactions and one in two (54%) not even trusting AI with their   
   personal data.    
      
   Moreover, barely one in three (36%) see any real benefit in AI agents   
   altogether, suggesting that the productivity-enhancing technology might not    
   be at its most useful in customer service settings.   
      
   Consumers just want humans   
      
   Artificial intelligence is most valued in language translation, research and   
   writing  outputs that are task-orientated, rather than the transactional   
   conversations that are typical of customer service agents.    
      
   Globally, Okta found that the ratio of those who prefer humans to those that   
   prefer AI stands at 4.4:1, however countries like the US (4.2:1), Japan   
   (3.4:1) and India (1.1:1) were less worried about talking with humans. Still,   
   no country scored higher for AI, highlighting the importance of human   
   interaction and involvement in customer service.    
      
   Okta also compared generations, with baby-boomers hugely less likely to want   
   to talk to AI (41.5:1) -- way more than Gen X (9.8:1), Millennials (3.2:1) and   
   Gen Z (2.3:1).    
      
   Quite simply, it's the human touch that gives humans the upper edge  'A human   
   understands my needs better', said two in three (64%) respondents.    
   Frustration when dealing with AI agents was also a significant frustration   
   (38%).    
      
   However, there are some benefits to interacting with AI, including quicker    
   and more streamlined responses without emotional bias.    
      
   Looking ahead, Okta calls for a measured and calculated approach to AI    
   agents, building security and privacy-first initiatives into them from the   
   get-go. "Finally, dont overlook the value of human agents  if one thing is   
   clear from the survey, its that users still value that human connection," the   
   report concludes.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/70-percent-of-people-are-sick-of-talking-to-ai-w   
   here-did-all-the-humans-go   
      
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