UK customers prefer human support over AI despite automation push

Research conducted between February 24 and 26, 2025, reveals a substantial gap between industry automation trends and consumer preferences for customer service interactions. The survey, commissioned by 8x8, questioned 2,000 adults across the United Kingdom to gauge attitudes toward artificial intelligence in customer support contexts.

The data shows 83% of respondents prefer speaking to human agents when contacting organizations. Only 4% expressed preference for virtual agents or chatbots. This stark divide appears across all UK regions, with no area scoring below 76% support for human interaction when dealing with urgent matters.

Scotland and Wales demonstrated the strongest preference for human contact, both registering 90% pro-human sentiment. Northern Ireland showed slightly more openness to AI solutions, with nearly 11% preferring virtual agents. Regional variations remained within a narrow band, suggesting consistent consumer expectations across the country.

Age-based differences emerged in the survey data. Among respondents aged 16-24, 7% indicated preference for AI assistance, while 17% expressed no preference between human and automated support. The youngest demographic showed marginally more acceptance of chatbot interactions compared to older age groups.

The survey population distributed evenly between male and female respondents, with roughly 50% representation for each gender. Age distribution showed concentration in older demographics, with 38% of respondents aged 55 and above, compared to 13% in the 16-24 age bracket.

Price sensitivity shifts consumer attitudes

Consumer sentiment changed when financial incentives entered the equation. More than 30% of respondents indicated willingness to use organizations that reduced prices through AI automation of customer interactions. Men showed slightly higher price sensitivity at 34%, compared to 28% among women.

Geographic patterns in cost-conscious responses varied significantly. London led with 45% of respondents willing to accept AI for reduced costs, followed by Newcastle at 39% and Wales at 36%. Scotland showed the lowest price sensitivity, with only 20% indicating that discounts would alter their preference for human agents.

Chris Angus, Vice President for CPaaS and CX Expansion at 8x8, Inc., addressed the findings in a statement: "Customers still value a human touch - but they're also pragmatic. People will choose AI if it saves them time or money. That's why our approach isn't about replacing agents, but rather empowering them. The best contact centers today are using AI as a teammate, not as a substitute, helping humans work smarter. That's the balance that customers expect, and it's where the most successful CX strategies are headed."

Replica voice technology divides opinion

The survey explored attitudes toward personalized AI voice technology. When asked about hearing a relative's voice in customer interactions, responses split considerably. More than 43% opposed the concept, while 28% supported it.

Age significantly influenced opinions on replica voices. Among 25-34 year olds, 48% favored the technology. This contrasts sharply with respondents aged 55 and older, where only 12% expressed positive sentiment toward voice cloning applications.

The questions built upon previous 8x8 research from 2024, which found more than 50% of people would pay extra to hear celebrity voices such as Taylor Swift or Margot Robbie in automated systems. The shift to personal voices rather than celebrity voices produced notably different response patterns.

Context for customer experience automation

The survey results arrive as customer experience platforms integrate AI agents across multiple touchpoints. Adobe launched enterprise AI agents on September 10, 2025, designed to automate customer journey creation and data insights. Google Cloud research found that 88% of early adopter organizations implementing AI agents reported positive return on investment across customer service applications.

Marketing and customer experience professionals face increasing pressure to reduce operational costs while maintaining service quality. AI automation promises efficiency gains, but implementation requires careful attention to consumer preferences. The 8x8 data suggests that cost savings must be substantial enough to overcome inherent consumer preference for human interaction.

Technical capabilities of AI systems have advanced significantly. Natural language processing enables chatbots to handle increasingly complex queries. Machine learning algorithms improve response accuracy through continuous training. Despite these improvements, consumer trust in automated systems remains limited for urgent matters requiring immediate resolution.

The survey methodology employed nationally representative sampling techniques. Field dates spanned three days in late February 2025. Data collection targeted adults aged 16 and above, with quotas ensuring geographic and demographic representation across the UK population.

8x8, Inc. operates as a business communications platform provider, offering unified communications, contact center solutions, and communications platform as a service (CPaaS) technologies. The company's platform integrates AI capabilities designed to support human agents rather than replace them entirely.

Previous 8x8 Streetview surveys examined related consumer attitudes. Earlier research found that UK consumers want companies fined for excessive wait times. Additional studies showed public sector waiting times now exceed bank waiting times, indicating widespread frustration with service delays across multiple industries.

Non-urgent matters show marginal AI acceptance

When survey questions shifted from urgent to non-urgent matters, support for AI increased modestly. The change registered only a few percentage points, suggesting that even for low-stakes interactions, consumers maintain strong preference for human contact.

This finding has implications for customer service strategy. Organizations often deploy chatbots for initial triage of incoming requests, directing simple queries to automated responses while routing complex issues to human agents. The survey data indicates that even simple queries may benefit from human handling if customer satisfaction remains a priority metric.

The technical implementation of hybrid human-AI systems varies across organizations. Some platforms use AI to provide real-time assistance to human agents, suggesting responses or pulling relevant information during live interactions. Other approaches involve AI handling initial contact before transferring to humans when automation proves insufficient.

Platform capabilities and AI integration

The 8x8 platform combines multiple communication channels into unified workflows. Integration points include voice, video, chat, and email interactions across contact center environments. AI features operate at multiple levels within this architecture, from real-time agent assistance to analytics and workflow automation.

Agent support tools represent one application of AI in customer service contexts. These systems analyze conversations as they occur, providing suggestions to human agents about appropriate responses or relevant information sources. This approach maintains human decision-making while leveraging AI processing capabilities.

Analytics applications use AI to identify patterns in customer interactions. Aggregate data reveals common issues, peak contact times, and effectiveness of different response strategies. Organizations use these insights to optimize staffing levels and training programs.

Workflow automation handles routine tasks that previously required manual processing. Examples include routing incoming requests to appropriate departments, updating customer records, and scheduling follow-up actions. These applications operate in the background, supporting but not replacing human judgment in customer-facing roles.

Survey implications for marketing strategies

For marketing professionals, the survey data provides guidance on customer experience positioning. Organizations promoting AI-powered customer service face consumer skepticism unless clear benefits accompany automation. Price reductions represent one effective incentive, though 70% of consumers remain unmoved by cost savings alone.

Brand messaging around customer service automation requires careful calibration. Emphasizing AI capabilities may trigger negative associations among consumers who prefer human interaction. Highlighting efficiency improvements or expanded service hours may prove more effective than focusing on technological sophistication.

The data also suggests segmentation opportunities. The 30% of consumers willing to accept AI for lower prices represent a distinct market segment with different priorities than the 70% who maintain preference for human agents regardless of cost. Service tiers could offer automated options at reduced prices while preserving premium human-supported alternatives.

Regional targeting strategies should account for geographic variations in price sensitivity. London-based consumers show substantially higher willingness to trade human interaction for cost savings compared to Scottish consumers. Marketing campaigns can adjust messaging based on these regional preferences.

Age-based targeting presents additional opportunities. Younger consumers demonstrate marginally more openness to AI interaction, though even among 16-24 year olds, human preference remains dominant. Long-term strategies might anticipate increasing AI acceptance as digital-native generations age, while recognizing that current consumer sentiment favors human contact.

Technical considerations for implementation

Organizations implementing AI customer service solutions must address several technical challenges. Natural language understanding capabilities determine whether chatbots can accurately interpret customer intent. Limited understanding leads to frustrating interactions that reinforce negative perceptions of automated systems.

Integration with existing systems affects AI effectiveness. Customer service platforms typically connect to multiple data sources including CRM systems, product databases, and order management tools. AI systems require access to these data sources to provide informed responses.

Training data quality influences AI performance. Machine learning models learn from historical customer interactions, inheriting biases and gaps present in training datasets. Ongoing refinement helps address these limitations, but initial deployments often struggle with edge cases not represented in training data.

Human oversight mechanisms ensure AI systems operate within acceptable parameters. Monitoring tools track conversation quality, escalation rates, and customer satisfaction scores. These metrics identify situations where AI automation performs poorly, enabling targeted improvements.

The survey findings suggest that even technically proficient AI systems may face consumer resistance based on preference rather than capability. Organizations must therefore consider consumer psychology alongside technical performance when designing customer service automation strategies.

Timeline

• February 24-26, 2025: 8x8 conducts survey of 2,000 UK adults on customer service preferences
• October 16, 2025: 8x8 releases survey results showing 83% prefer human support over AI
• October 9, 2025: Adobe releases AI agents targeting B2B sales and marketing workflows
• October 1, 2025: LiveRamp introduces agentic AI tools for marketing automation
• September 10, 2025: Adobe launches AI agents for enterprise customer experience management
• September 5, 2025: Google Cloud survey reveals 88% ROI spike among AI agent early adopters
• 2024: Previous 8x8 study found 50% would pay extra for celebrity-voiced AI systems

Summary

Who: 8x8, Inc., a business communications platform provider, surveyed 2,000 UK adults aged 16 and above through nationally representative sampling.

What: Research found 83% of UK consumers prefer human customer service agents over AI chatbots, though 30% would accept automation if it meant lower prices. Only 4% prefer virtual agents or chatbots.

When: The survey was conducted between February 24 and 26, 2025, with results announced October 16, 2025.

Where: The research covered the United Kingdom, with geographic distribution across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. London showed highest price sensitivity at 45%, while Scotland showed lowest at 20%.

Why: The survey matters for marketing professionals because it reveals consumer resistance to AI automation in customer service contexts, requiring careful strategy around implementation and messaging. Organizations must balance efficiency gains from automation against consumer preferences for human interaction, with price reductions serving as the most effective incentive to overcome resistance. Regional and demographic variations enable targeted approaches, while the data suggests that even technically capable AI systems face adoption challenges based on consumer psychology rather than performance limitations.