What’s the news?

On October 7, 2026, at its annual WebexOne conference, Cisco made several announcements across its Webex and collaboration device portfolio. Highlights include:

Cisco also highlighted end-to-end and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities that integrate security and agent management across the Webex and device portfolios and that work with networking hardware, such as Wi-Fi access points, to provide space utilization, air-quality management, and other capabilities. Networking and collaboration devices together provide unified support for Cisco’s Places room and space management platform, allowing employees to find open space or space near co-workers, with the ability for the system to learn employee preferences.

The Metrigy AI Consumer Experience Index fell to 102.7 in the third quarter, down from 104.6 in the second quarter but still above the 100-point baseline established in the first quarter. All eight sub-indexes eased—somewhat unsurprising given the growth in activities the third-quarter months naturally bring. Across all three waves of the index, the second-quarter ratings represent the peak rather than the new normal, with consumer sentiment settling at a level that remains better than where the year started.

What moved in third quarter was the standard more than the service customers received. The evidence sits in which responses changed. Consumers did not shift into the negative answers this quarter; they shifted into the middle. The Relationship Index shows this shift most plainly. The share of consumers who say their treatment was about what they expected jumped 5.6 points to 42.3%, the largest single response movement anywhere in the study, while the share who rate it much better than expected fell to 18.7%. Consumers are telling us their treatment was unremarkable, not that it was bad. Competent service, which incorporates competent AI, has become the price of admission rather than something worth praising. Consumers have raised the bar for exceptional service.

AI is doing the work of holding the index up. AI Satisfaction at 109.4 and AI Trust at 106.9 are the only two sub-indexes more than six points above baseline, and between them they hold about 70% of the gain left in the overall index. AI Trust posted the smallest decline of the eight sub-indexes this quarter, and that matters more than it sounds. The survey field period ran through a stretch of heavy negative press about AI’s data center footprint, yet consumer trust did not break. Pair that with heavy summer travel, storm seasons, back-to-school shopping, and overall raised AI expectations, and the trust score speaks volumes for AI’s performance.

The majority of consumers still prefer human agents over AI agents, but the percentage has been declining since the first quarter. When a resolution is guaranteed, more consumers now will select AI than they did in the first quarter: 28.8% today vs. 23.0% in first quarter, showing a slow but steady shift toward preference for AI agents. What’s immeasurable is the impact AI has had on their human preference, given agent assist continues to improve human agent performance, though customers don’t realize what’s happening behind the scenes.

After two straight quarters of gains, the AI Consumer Experience Index cooled off in Q3 2026. That is not necessarily bad news: It is a sign that AI-powered service has moved from novelty to baseline. Consumers no longer marvel simply because an AI agent understood them; they now expect it, and they are quicker to notice when service falls short of that higher bar.

According to the newly released Metrigy Q3 2026 AI Consumer Experience Index, the overall score eased to 102.7 this quarter, down from Q2’s 104.6 but still 2.7 points above the Q1 2026 baseline of 100. All eight sub-indexes retreated together this quarter, suggesting Q2 was a peak rather than a new normal.

What moved in Q3 was the standard more than the service. Consumers did not shift into negative answers this quarter; they shifted into the middle. In the Relationship Index, the share who say their treatment was about what they expected jumped 5.6 points to 42.3%, the largest single response movement in the study, while the share who rate it much better than expected fell to 18.7%. Competent service, including competent AI, has become the price of admission rather than something worth praising. Consumers have raised the bar.