Companies will invest heavily artificial intelligence (AI) agents as the world of work changes forever. Gartner suggests Agent AI is the most important strategic technology for 2025 and beyond. The technology analyst predicts that, by 2028, at least 15% of daily work decisions will be made automatically through AI agents, up from 0% in 2024.
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The goal-oriented capabilities of agent AI will provide more adaptable software systems that can complete a variety of tasks. However, technology company Salesforce’s Status of AI-connected customers survey of 15,015 people across 18 countries reveals the challenges ahead. Consumer trust in companies is at a record low, and AI is empowering brands.
Embrace AI agents
Salesforce’s research presents some key trends. Here are the standout statistics from the survey:
Low trust but high risk
- 72% of consumers trust companies less than they did a year ago
- 60% of consumers believe that advances in AI make trust even more important
- 54% of AI users do not trust the data used to train it
- 80% of customers think experience is as important as product
- 65% of consumers feel companies are careless with customer data
Consumers expect great experiences
- 69% of consumers expect consistent interactions across departments
- More than a third of consumers say inconveniences, such as difficult returns processes or confusing purchasing experiences, cause brands to lose loyalty.
- Consumers say the longest time they spent trying to resolve a customer service issue was 9 hours
- Consumers have walked away from nearly a third of customer service interactions without getting what they needed in the past six months
- More than half (54%) of consumers don’t care how they interact with companies, as long as their problem is fixed quickly
- One-third of consumers would rather buy products automatically/digitally than in person
- 34% of consumers would work with an AI agent instead of a human to avoid repeating themselves
- 73% of consumers want to know if they communicate with an AI agent
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Trust is a big issue
- 30% of consumers will work with AI agents for faster service
- Less than a third of Gen Z and Millennials feel comfortable having AI agents shop for them
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Transparency is the key to success
- 45% of consumers are more likely to use an AI agent if there is a clear escalation path
- 44% of consumers are more likely to use an AI agent if its logic is clearly explained
- One in five workers are “hidden” AI users, regularly using AI but hesitant to share with colleagues that they do so
The State of the AI Connected Customer study shows that customers are willing to use AI agents if they know they are interacting with the agents and if there is a clear progression path for human employees. People.
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Trust is a key factor driving the adoption of AI agents in business. Welcome to the age of automated AI, where companies that thrive will focus on trust, speed, scale, and personalization.
