AI vs. Human Agents

Authors: Robin Gareiss, CEO and Principal Analyst Artificial intelligence (AI) has been working alongside humans in the contact center for long enough now to get some solid answers to the question everyone is asking: Are AI agents better? Or are the human agents? Not surprisingly, the answer is: It depends. When companies start using AI, they leverage the low-hanging fruit, using the technology for functions such as transcriptions and summarizations. But as AI improves and CX leaders become more comfortable with the technology, AI can directly resolve customer issues without human involvement. The goal then becomes implementing sophisticated analytics tools to determine when AI or human agents should address an issue. Metrigy’s Customer Experience Optimization 2025-26 global study of 656 companies documents the use of AI for CX and what results companies are seeing as they compare success of AI agents vs. humans. Although 85.6% of companies say humans and AI are already working together to serve customers, perceptions vary on where each excels. This report explores how organizations are leveraging AI, comparing its performance to humans, and preparing for a future where AI resolution rates are expected to nearly double by 2029.

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• The Multifaceted Relationship Between AI and Human Agents
  • How AI Helps Agents
• Comparing AI and Human Agent Performance
  • Humans or AI Agents?
  • Area-Specific Strengths
  • The Melding of Service and Sales
• Looking Ahead: AI’s Expanding Role
• Conclusion
• Working With Metrigy