According to a recent LinkedIn post from Lorikeet, a survey of 1,083 consumers in the U.S. and Europe indicates that only 7% initially prefer AI over a human for customer support. The post notes that when a 15-minute wait for a human is introduced, AI preference rises to 44%, with half of respondents switching to AI within fifteen minutes.
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The post suggests that three quarters of consumers are willing to opt for AI within thirty minutes of waiting, highlighting what it describes as a 24-point swing in preference tied to service delays. For investors, this data may imply growing elasticity in consumer attitudes toward AI support, potentially strengthening the business case for automation technologies that can relieve human-capacity constraints and improve service levels.
If Lorikeet’s insights are indicative of broader market behavior, companies deploying AI-driven customer service tools could see improved operational efficiency and throughput. This shift could support margin expansion for enterprises adopting AI solutions, while positioning providers of such technologies to capture increased demand as customer service organizations seek scalable, always-on support capabilities.
The post further implies that stated consumer preference for human agents may depend on response times that traditional human-only teams struggle to achieve consistently. For investors, this dynamic could underscore a structural advantage for hybrid or AI-first support models, potentially driving adoption cycles and influencing competitive positioning across the customer experience and contact-center technology markets.

