Gartner Predicts 50% of Organizations Will Abandon Plans to ...

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June 2025 round-up of interesting AI news and announcements

Salesforce made significant announcements about their AI agent capabilities this week. CEO Marc Benioff revealed that AI now performs **30% to 50% of work** in customer service, engineering, and coding[2]. Their AI agents achieve **93% accuracy** in customer conversations, matching performance levels seen at major partners like Disney[2]. The company is rapidly scaling its AI agent platform, with plans to reach **1 billion AI agents** by year-end[2]. To enhance these capabilities, Salesforce is acquiring companies like Informatica and Convergence.ai, investing heavily in **agentic AI development**[2]. Benioff described these AI agents as "**what AI was meant to be**" - tools that make businesses more productive while reducing costs[2].

New research from Gartner provides important context for these developments. Their study predicts that **50% of organizations** will abandon plans to eliminate customer service jobs by 2027[1]. This shift is happening because many companies struggle to achieve fully automated "**agent-less" customer service**[1]. A poll of 163 customer service leaders found **95% plan to retain human agents** to strategically define AI's role in their operations[1].

Kathy Ross, Gartner's Senior Director Analyst, explained the rationale behind this trend: "While AI offers significant potential to transform customer service, it is not a panacea. The **human touch remains irreplaceable** in many interactions"[1]. Companies are adopting a "**digital first, but not digital only**" strategy that balances AI efficiency with human empathy[1]. This hybrid approach ensures customers get quick solutions for simple issues through AI, while maintaining access to human support for complex or emotionally sensitive situations[1].

These developments reflect a broader global trend in customer service technology. Companies worldwide are learning that successful AI implementation requires **strategic human oversight**[1][2]. While AI agents excel at handling routine inquiries quickly, humans provide critical judgment for nuanced cases[1]. The emerging best practice involves using AI for initial customer interactions while training human agents to manage escalations, quality control, and AI supervision[1].

Looking ahead, these patterns suggest customer service roles will evolve rather than disappear. Human agents will increasingly focus on **training AI systems**, handling complex cases, and providing emotional intelligence that machines cannot replicate[1]. Companies like Amazon have already seen improved results by combining generative AI with human oversight in their customer service chatbots[3]. This balanced approach appears critical for maintaining service quality while leveraging AI's efficiency benefits.

The week's news demonstrates that the customer service industry is moving toward a sustainable middle ground. As Salesforce expands its AI capabilities and Gartner's research confirms the value of human-AI collaboration, a clear pattern emerges: **AI augments rather than replaces** human customer service[1][2]. This global shift toward hybrid models will likely shape customer service strategies for years to come, with companies investing in both advanced AI and specialized human agent training[1][2][3].

This week brought important updates about how AI is changing customer service worldwide. Salesforce announced their AI agents now handle **30-50% of work** in customer support and coding, with **93% accuracy** in customer conversations[2]. The company expects to reach **1 billion AI agents** on its platform by year-end as adoption grows rapidly[2].

A Gartner study revealed that **50% of companies** will abandon plans to fully replace human agents with AI by 2027[1]. Researchers found **95% of leaders** plan to keep human workers to guide AI tools, creating a hybrid "**digital first, not digital only**" approach[1]. This shows companies worldwide are learning that **humans and AI work best together** for quality customer service.

These developments highlight a major shift: while AI agents handle routine tasks efficiently, **human empathy remains irreplaceable** for complex customer needs[1][2]. Companies like Salesforce are making big investments through acquisitions to improve their AI agents' capabilities[2].

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