Data suggests chatbots fall short — but that businesses still see benefits

A lot’s changed since Tay. The advent of AI tech like ChatGPT dramatically improved the chatbot experience, showing that chatbots aren’t necessarily destined to deliver underwhelming back-and-forth conversations. But a new survey shows that, at least when it comes to customer service, chatbots still have a long way to go before they meet most people’s expectations.

Customer engagement platform Cyara commissioned Forrester to poll over 1,500 consumers who’ve used sales or support chatbots in the last six months about their recent experiences. Close to a majority said they were bearish on chatbot technologies, with roughly half agreeing that the chatbots they’ve used often frustrate them and nearly 40% characterizing their interactions with these chatbots as negative.