A Gartner forecast is attracting attention in CX. Its analysis suggests that generative AI in customer service could become more expensive than human agents in offshore call centres by 2030. This challenges the assumption that AI automatically lowers service costs over time.
For companies revising their service strategy, the question is whether AI is really the most economical solution or whether its use is overestimated.
Gartner's central forecast
Gartner expects generative AI cost per resolution to potentially exceed that of many offshore agents by 2030.
Several factors drive this:
- Rising data centre and infrastructure costs
- High spending on specialist AI staff
- Increasing model complexity
- The end of heavily subsidised AI pricing
Many providers still partly finance services through investors or strategic market-share objectives. In the long term, systems must operate economically, which may increase prices.
Why automation does not automatically become cheaper
A common misconception is that automation inevitably reduces costs.
In practice, economics depend strongly on the types of enquiries that can be automated.
Simple standard questions are suitable. Complex cases, particularly complaints, escalations and regulatory matters, often still require human expertise.
The more complex the case, the more context, data and processing power AI needs, increasing interaction costs.
Gartner therefore notes that many companies will use hybrid models combining people and AI rather than fully automated services.
Regulation could strengthen human support
Regulatory developments are another factor.
Gartner predicts that legal requirements for access to human contacts could significantly increase human service interaction volumes by 2028.
Regulated industries such as banking, insurance and healthcare need traceable, auditable processes.
Automated systems alone are generally insufficient.
What this means for customer experience
If AI does not automatically save costs, the focus in CX management changes.
Instead of AI at any price, priorities become:
- Efficient service processes
- Structured complaint handling
- Transparent case documentation
- Measurable quality
Technology remains important. The decisive difference is how it is used.
Successful companies will primarily use AI to support employees rather than replace them completely.
The future: Technology and people
The likely future involves hybrid service models.
AI takes on tasks such as:
- Feedback analysis
- Enquiry prioritisation
- Employee assistance
- Automated preliminary case qualification
People remain crucial for:
- Complex complaints
- Emotional interactions
- Regulatory requirements
- Trust-based communication
Complaint management repeatedly shows that customers expect above all to be understood.
Technology can support this expectation but cannot fully automate it.
Conclusion
The forecast challenges a common assumption: AI is not automatically cheaper than human support.
For companies, this means:
- Use automation strategically
- Human service expertise remains crucial
- Structured processes become more important
Pure automation is unlikely to dominate future service.
What matters will be the interaction between technology and human expertise, where actual customer experience quality emerges.
Source: Gartner forecast on generative AI cost per resolution.