Wire report

Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care, UK banks and energy firms told

Citizens Advice says providers of essential services such as energy, banking, phone and internet should guarantee the ‘right to talk to a human’ Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care and guarantee the “right to talk to a human”, Citizens Advice has urged essential service providers, as research found they wasted time, caused stress and delayed problem solving for more than half of users. The spread of the AI-powered systems to provide help about the provision of vital services such as energy, banking, phones and internet, is making it harder for millions of already digitally excluded people to handle snags, according to the frontline charity that last year provided more than 2.7 million people with one-on-one help in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Image from linked report: Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care, UK banks and energy firms told
Image from the linked report: Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care, UK banks and energy firms told.Credit: The Guardian Thumbnail shown with attribution and outbound source link; VINI does not claim ownership or republish the original article body. Image source Image shown with attribution and an outbound source link; VINI does not claim ownership or republish the original article body.
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Why it mattersTechnology

Citizens Advice says providers of essential services such as energy, banking, phone and internet should guarantee the ‘right to talk to a human’ Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care and guarantee the “right to talk to a human”, Citizens Advice has urged essential service providers, as research found they wasted time, caused stress and delayed problem solving for more than half of users. The spread of the AI-powered systems to provide help about the provision of vital services such as energy, banking, phones and internet, is making it harder for millions of already digitally excluded people to handle snags, according to the frontline charity that last year provided more than 2.7 million people with one-on-one help in England and Wales. Continue reading...

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According to The Guardian’s source item, Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care, UK banks and energy firms told, Citizens Advice says providers of essential services such as energy, banking, phone and internet should guarantee the ‘right to talk to a human’ Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care and guarantee the “right to talk to a human”, Citizens Advice has urged essential service providers, as research found they wasted time, caused stress and delayed problem solving for more than half of users. The spread of the AI-powered systems to provide help about the provision of vital services such as energy, banking, phones and internet, is making it harder for millions of already digitally excluded people to handle snags, according to the frontline charity that last year provided more than 2.7 million people with one-on-one help in England and Wales. Continue reading…

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The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-09-21T16:35:31+00:00.

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Primary source: Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care, UK banks and energy firms told via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.

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