AI Was Supposed To Fix Customer Service: It’s 100x Worse | The Deep
The LOOPcast
CatholicVote
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 22 January 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
“For faster service, try our customer service portal.” Big Tech’s AI rush is the next step in stripping humanity from customer service – promising speed and efficiency. But the data shows something darker: collapsing trust, rising customer rage, and dehumanized systems people can’t escape. In this episode of The Deep, Erika breaks down why we all hate AI customer service, who benefits, and why monopolies are betting you have nowhere else to go.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro: Customer service is broken
2:33 - Why is customer service worse than ever?
5:19 - Corporations sacrifice human touch for scalability
8:43 - A race to the bottom
10:03 - Surveys show customers despise AI support
12:06 - The psychology behind why customers hate it
14:48 - Conclusion: Resisting fatalism
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Sources:
Banks, Alex (@alexbanks). “Note on AI and Attention.” Alex Banks (Substack), June 2, 2025. Accessed January 5, 2026. https://substack.com/@alexbanks/note/c-192787692?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=1htswx.
Customer Experience Dive. “Klarna Reinvests in Human Talent for Customer Service as AI Chatbot Use Grows.” Customer Experience Dive, April 15, 2025. Accessed January 5, 2026. https://www.customerexperiencedive.com/news/klarna-reinvests-human-talent-customer-service-AI-chatbot/747586/.
HBR Editors. “Fixing Chatbots Requires Psychology, Not Technology.” Harvard Business Review, May 2025. Accessed January 5, 2026. https://hbr.org/2025/05/fixing-chatbots-requires-psychology-not-technology.
StoryBoard18 Staff. “Human Touch Trumps AI: 88% of Consumers Prefer Human Agents for Customer Service.” StoryBoard18, October 22, 2025. Accessed January 5, 2026. https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/human-touch-trumps-ai-88-consumers-prefer-human-agents-for-customer-service-78916.htm.
The Agent Architect (@theagentarchitect). “AI Customer Service Con: Customer Abandonment.” The Agent Architect (Substack), November 11, 2025. Accessed January 5, 2026. https://theagentarchitect.substack.com/p/ai-customer-service-con-customer-abandonment.
Unknown Author. “Title Not Provided.” Substack, (p-171273784), 2025. Accessed January 5, 2026. https://substack.com/home/post/p-171273784.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the story of Dave, whose customer service experience was so bad, it almost killed him. |
| 0:06.5 | Dave is 44. He works a desk job, and he has restless leg syndrome and chronic insomnia. |
| 0:13.2 | It's not a life-threatening condition, but it can really unravel your life. |
| 0:17.6 | After months of trial and error, Dave's neurologist finally finds medication that |
| 0:22.9 | works. For the first time in years, David sleeps six hours at night, then January hits, |
| 0:29.3 | and his insurance resets. The pharmacy texts him, your prescription is delayed, action required. |
| 0:36.4 | He clicks the link. |
| 0:37.9 | The virtual assistant greets him by name. |
| 0:40.5 | Hi David, I'm your care assistant. |
| 0:43.0 | How can I help? |
| 0:44.1 | He selects medication issue, then prior authorization. |
| 0:49.2 | Then, yes, I still need this medication. |
| 0:52.7 | The AI assistant replies, your provider must submit additional documentation. |
| 0:58.1 | So Dave calls his doctor's office. |
| 1:00.2 | A recording answers. |
| 1:01.7 | To get started, please use our online portal for fastest service. |
| 1:06.0 | So he logs in. |
| 1:07.3 | The portal says, insurance denied the claim. |
| 1:10.4 | Your provider must submit additional documentation. |
| 1:13.6 | No kidding. That's what I called to tell you. |
| 1:16.6 | He calls his insurer. |
| 1:17.6 | After menus, music, and a soothing voice telling him his time is valuable, |
... |
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