Why does nobody talk about how AI customer service bots actually create more work for humans?

I spent 45 minutes last week stuck in a loop with a chatbot that couldn't understand I wanted a replacement part, not a refund, and then it handed me off to a human who had to start from scratch anyway - so which side of this debate are you on, the efficiency boost or the hidden labor cost of training and fixing these systems?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_harris392mo ago

I read a study recently that said companies save about 30% on support costs with AI chat, but they don't factor in all the time humans spend fixing the mess it leaves behind. You hit the nail on the head when you said "hidden labor cost" because that's the part nobody sees. My friend works in tech support and he told me his team spends half their shift just going through chatbot transcripts and correcting wrong orders. It's like the bot creates a new problem for every simple one it actually solves. So yeah, I'm on your side here - the efficiency boost is mostly a lie they tell investors while the real workers drown in extra work.

morgan_butler6d agoMost Upvoted

Your friend getting stuck fixing chatbot mistakes all day... that's exactly the kind of thing that never shows up on a spreadsheet. Companies love to talk about automation like it's this magical fix but they don't count the hours people spend untangling the mess. It's honestly depressing how common that story is, I've heard it from so many people in support roles. The whole "efficiency" thing feels more like shuffling the work around instead of actually making it go away. Real workers just end up with extra invisible labor that nobody gives them credit for. Solidarity with your friend for sure, that grind sounds brutal.

adam_nguyen72mo ago

Oh man, that's such a good point but I think the 30% figure might be a bit off (at least from what I've seen). I remember reading that Gartner report from last year and it was closer to 25% savings, and even then it was like, "savings under ideal conditions" which we all know never happens. @nina_harris39 your friend's experience proves why that number is kinda meaningless in the real world.