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Nearly half of UAE consumers feel AI not meeting their customer service expectations, finds ServiceNow research
A new report from ServiceNow has revealed that 54 % of UAE consumers say failure to understand emotional cues is more of an AI than human trait, pushing AI to evolve beyond automation. The report revealed that AI has to be an essential partner to human agents – businesses that fail to integrate automation seamlessly risk falling behind.
ServiceNow, an AI platform for business transformation, has released the ServiceNow Consumer Voice Report 2025. Now in its third year, the report, which surveyed 17,000 adults across 13 countries in EMEA – including 1,000 in the UAE – explores consumer expectations when it comes to AI’ s role in customer experience( CX).
Need to put the EQ in AI
Despite rapid advancements in AI and its widespread use in customer service, UAE consumers overwhelmingly( at least 68 %) prefer to interact with people for customer support. Based on the findings of the research, this can be attributed to the perceived lack of AI’ s general emotional intelligence( EQ). More than half( 54 %) of UAE consumers say that failing to understand emotional cues is more of an AI trait than human; 51 % feel agents having a limited understanding of context is more likely to be AI and an equal number( 51 %) say misunderstanding slang, idioms and informal language is more likely AI. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds( 64 %) of UAE consumers feel repetitive or scripted responses are more of an AI trait.
“ The key takeaway for business leaders is that AI can no longer be just another customer service tool – it has to be an essential partner to the human agent. The future of customer relationships now lies at the intersection of AI and emotional intelligence( EQ). Consumers no longer want AI that just gets the job done; they want AI that understands them,” said William O’ Neill, Area VP, UAE at ServiceNow.
High stakes, low trust
The report also highlights a clear AI trust gap, particularly for urgent or complex requests. UAE consumers embrace AI for speed and convenience in low-risk / routine tasks – 23 %
18 www. intelligentcxo. com