What Consumers Really Think About Businesses Using AI
There is no doubt that AI is changing the way consumers interact with businesses. The way we search and shop online is changing, as businesses add AI to their tool boxes. From chatbots to AI generated content, AI tracking analysis and AI marketing, businesses have been implementing AI to help stream processes, save time and money, and guide customers through the purchase journey. But in all the buzz around AI implementation, many businesses have failed to ask the customers what they think of their AI usage. So, we found out and are sharing the latest research about what customers really think about businesses using AI.
Here's What Consumers Really Think About Business AI Usage
There are plenty of reasons for using AI tools for your business. But have you stopped to ask your customers what they think of the ones they engage with? We found several reports which asked and have shared what polled consumers think about AI and their interactions with it. Here are our top finds:
- 90% of customers prefer customer service from a person, not a chatbot. 61% of this 90% say that humans understand their needs better than AI, and that 52% say that human customer service is less likely to frustrate them compared to chatbots.
- 47% of customers want AI generated personalised deals, and 42% like being given AI driven product recommendations.
- 65% are okay with using AI to order food and drinks, but just 28% said they'd be comfortable using AI to get medical advice.
- 81% of customers are okay with marketers using AI to provide tailored recommendations
- 82% of customers are concerned that AI powered marketing could compromise their online privacy
- 78% believe generative AI is the future, but only 39% are excited about that
- 78% of consumers want brands to be transparent when they're using AI
- 80% of consumers trust Big Tech or emerging tech companies to develop AI responsibly, but less than one third trust brands to do the same. 60% of customers think AI is good for the shopping industry.
- 34% of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services that are designed with AI, and 42% prefer brands that use AI to design products and services
- when shopping online using AI driven search, 25% of customers want more accurate and relevant search results, 21% want more personalised results, 20% want faster search experiences and 14% want more engaging and interactive search experiences.
- 45% of consumers have said they've used AI powered search, with 17% saying they rely more on AI powered search tools than traditional search methods
- 69% of consumers have interacted with AI generated prompts and results when searching for products online
- 27% of customers say personalised results based on their inputs are the most important and valuable AI drive features.
- 47% of customers say they have used AI tools and platforms as part of their online shopping journey, with 25% saying they use it frequently when shopping online
Key Findings on Consumer Thoughts on AI Business Usage
If we just look at the above statistics, it would be fair to say that:
- consumers want to interact with real people in customer services roles
Businesses have been trying to reduce the need for employees in customer service roles through the use of chatbots, and providing clear and relevant website content. While there is a case for chatbot usage to help answer general questions or direct to web pages for information, consumers have said they prefer a human in this role. They value human interactions, and are concerned AI will provide the wrong answers, make their data less secure, give the wrong answers, will not treat customers equally, will take over people's jobs and make it harder to talk to a real person. Gartner - Consumers reject AI for customer service.
Research by Accquire BPO found 70% of consumers would swap to a different brand if they had a frustrating experience with a chatbot. 50% of consumers feel that AI customer support lacks a personal touch, has longer resolution times and less accuracy. They also discovered that 61% of respondents liked the idea that AI could remember past issues and use this to make future customer support more streamlined, but that 50% did not want AI to be used to predict problems that have not occurred.
- consumers like and want personalised results and recommendations based on their input into AI driven searches
- consumers want a business to tell them when they are using AI
As businesses, it is important that we take the time to know what our customers understand, experience and want from our use of AI. AI will continue to play a significant role in the running of businesses, but it is important to remember that AI cannot truly take the place of a person.
Posted: Friday 16 May 2025
