Industry surveyGartner, 2 Sep 2026

53% of customers would consider switching to a competitor if they learned a company is using AI for customer service

Onboarding & activation

53%

of customers would consider switching to a competitor if a company uses AI for customer service

Reader Note:: No sample size is stated for this figure. It sits on the deck's enterprise-risk page without a question wording or a sample line, unlike the charted findings in the same deck, which carry n = 3,566 and n = 2,277, so it is the least documented number in this source. It is also stated intention — what customers say they would consider, not a switch anyone measured.
Evidence:: Stated intention
Vendor interest:: Moderate — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Sample:: Survey of 3,566 B2B and B2C customers, conducted in February and March 2026. Sampling method not disclosed in this press release.

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Reading the mood, and deciding what to test yourself.

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Predicting what people will actually do. Intentions and behaviour come apart.
This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
The source says how much it looked at, but not how any of it was chosen.

87%

of customers say it's essential to offer an option to reach a human agent when using AI

Among customers unwilling to use AI in service, the most common thing that would change their mind is being able to switch to a human, named by 33%, ahead of accurate information at 20%

Factors that would make customers willing to engage with GenAI
Factor	Share of customers (%)
The ability to switch to a human representative if needed	33%
Accurate and reliable information	20%
Made tasks easier to accomplish	18%
Improved the speed of customer service	18%
24/7 availability	16%
Provided me with personalized responses	14%
Assurance my personal data is protected	12%
Educated me about a product or service	7%

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53% of customers would consider switching to a competitor if they learned a company is using AI for customer service

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