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NiCE and Metrigy Research Finds Growing Openness to AI as Trust Shapes Customer Experience
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Consumer confidence in AI-powered customer service is growing, but trust and reliable issue resolution remain central to wider adoption. New research from NiCE and Metrigy finds that 28.8% of consumers would choose an AI agent if resolution were guaranteed, up from 23% in the first quarter of 2026.
The findings come from the Q3 2026 AI Consumer Experience Index, a quarterly study of 1,000 US adults examining customer service expectations and experiences across eight dimensions, including AI satisfaction, trust and issue resolution.
For the third consecutive quarter, trust ranked as the most important factor consumers value in business interactions, selected by 41% of respondents. Resolution followed at 35.4%, while accuracy emerged as the leading reason for choosing a service channel, cited by 54.7%.
The results suggest that consumers are becoming more open to AI-powered service, provided businesses can demonstrate that automated interactions deliver dependable outcomes.
"AI adoption is earned every time a customer gets the help they need," said Arun Chandra, Chief Operating Officer at NiCE. He highlighted the importance of AI agents that understand customer requirements, take action and maintain context when an interaction needs to transition to human support.
AI Satisfaction and Trust Continue to Improve
The research recorded improvements across consumer perceptions of AI since the Q1 2026 baseline.
The AI Satisfaction Index reached 109.4, representing a 9.4-point increase, while the AI Trust Index climbed to 106.9, up 6.9 points. These were the largest improvements among the eight dimensions tracked in the study.
Despite these gains, consumers continue to value a combination of automated and human-led customer service.
The most preferred service model, selected by 39.4% of respondents, combines AI and human agents, with interactions switching automatically depending on complexity. Another 37% prefer human-led service supported by AI, while 23.6% favour AI-led service with human assistance available when needed.
These preferences highlight the importance of maintaining continuity between automated systems and human expertise as businesses expand their AI capabilities.
Consumer Choice Becomes a Customer Experience Advantage
The ability to choose how they interact with businesses is also emerging as an important part of customer experience.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63.9%) said they would pay more for better service. Among the premium service features evaluated, the option to choose between an AI agent and a human representative was the most popular, selected by 37% of consumers.
The findings indicate that AI adoption is not simply about replacing human interactions with automation. Providing flexibility and allowing customers to select the support model that best suits their needs could become an important differentiator for businesses.
Younger consumers also demonstrated stronger engagement with AI-powered service. Among adults aged 25 to 34, 74.4% expect AI to improve customer service over the next two years, compared with 49.5% across all respondents.
Usage patterns reflect this optimism, with 39.7% of consumers in this age group reporting that they have used an AI text agent, compared with 26.2% of consumers overall.
Retail Leads AI Improvement as Customer Patience Declines
Retail recorded the strongest AI improvement among the three sectors tracked in the research, including retail, financial services and healthcare. Its AI Index reached 108.1 against its own Q1 baseline.
However, the broader Customer Experience Index for retail remained below baseline, suggesting that improvements in AI adoption have yet to translate into equivalent gains across the overall customer experience.
The research also points to declining consumer tolerance for poor service. Respondents said they would tolerate an average of just 2.78 poor experiences before leaving a company, assuming they could do so. This is down from 3.24 in Q1 2026.
Robin Gareiss, CEO and Principal Analyst for AI and CX at Metrigy, said trust has become a defining factor in customer loyalty. She noted that consumers are increasingly open to AI when they can depend on resolution, while emerging personal AI agents could influence how people evaluate and recommend brands.
Building Trust Through AI-Powered Customer Experience
The findings reinforce a broader shift in enterprise AI adoption. While businesses continue to explore automation and intelligent customer service, successful implementation increasingly depends on delivering accurate, reliable and consistent outcomes.
NiCE supports this approach through its NiCE Cognigy and NiCE CXone platforms, which connect AI agents with customer service workflows and employees across voice and digital channels. The integration is designed to help enterprises coordinate automated interactions and human support while maintaining customer context.
For businesses, the next phase of AI-powered customer experience will depend not only on how much they automate, but also on how effectively they earn customer confidence with every interaction.
As consumer expectations continue to evolve, trust, accuracy and access to human expertise are likely to remain central to the future of customer service.
About NiCE
NiCE (NASDAQ: NICE) is an AI-focused technology company developing platforms that automate customer engagements through intelligent actions and workflows. Its AI-powered solutions connect people, systems and business processes, helping organisations improve customer experiences and operational performance. NiCE serves organisations across more than 150 countries.
About Metrigy
Metrigy is a research and advisory firm focused on artificial intelligence, customer experience and workplace collaboration. The company conducts research with business leaders, consumers and technology providers, delivering strategic guidance supported by primary research, performance metrics and industry analysis.
Research Methodology
The Q3 2026 AI Consumer Experience Index is based on a quarterly survey of 1,000 demographically representative US adults, conducted independently by Metrigy in partnership with NiCE. Respondents evaluated customer service experiences against expectations using a five-point scale. The index uses a diffusion index methodology, with Q1 2026 established as the baseline of 100. The Q3 survey was conducted from August 10–14, 2026. The overall margin of error is approximately ±3.1 percentage points, with greater uncertainty for subgroup estimates.
Source: NiCE and Metrigy, Q3 2026 AI Consumer Experience Index