The Future of Customer Relationships Is Combination of Artificial and Emotional Intelligence, According to ServiceNow Research 

• 68% of consumers in Ireland say AI chatbots fail to understand emotional cues, pushing AI to evolve beyond automation 
• 65% of consumers believe AI will detect emotions in the next 12 months, raising expectations for smarter, emotionally aware customer experiences 
• AI is now an essential partner to human agents - businesses that fail to integrate automation seamlessly risk falling behind 

ServiceNow, the AI platform for business transformation, has released the Irish findings of its ServiceNow Consumer Voice Report 2025,  which surveyed 17,000 adults across 13 countries in Europe and the Middle East, including 1,000 in Ireland. Now in its third year, the report reveals a significant shift in consumer expectations when it comes to AI’s role in customer experience (CX). The key takeaway for business leaders is that AI is no longer just a tool – it has become 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. 

Cathy Mauzaize, President, EMEA at ServiceNow, said: “Business leaders across EMEA risk being left behind if they fail to embrace the collaboration between AI and human expertise. Consumers are no longer satisfied with disconnected, inefficient service. They expect AI to streamline interactions, anticipate their needs, and complement human agents, not replace them. The companies that successfully integrate AI with human-driven customer service will not only improve efficiency but also build stronger, more trusted customer relationships.” 

“Consumer sentiment in Ireland echoes what we’re seeing across the EMEA region,” said Paul Turley, Senior Director, ServiceNow Ireland. “Customers want quick response and resolution speeds. However, the majority also feel that, as it stands, AI’s emotional sensitivity is lacking and there’s a very real expectation that this gap will close in the near future. Businesses need to keep this in mind and start acting now. With advancements like agentic AI, the future of customer experience lies in technology that makes interactions more intuitive, empathetic, and frictionless." 

Findings from the report show that: 

• Despite some scepticism, belief in AI’s emotional intelligence is growing. Almost three-quarters (73%) of consumers in Ireland think AI will eventually detect emotions, closing the gap between human and machine interactions. 
• Generational differences shape these views with only 14% of 18–34-year-olds believing AI will never understand emotions, compared to 41% of those aged 55+ sharing this doubt. 
• Most agree that rapid advancements are on the horizon - 62% anticipate AI chatbots will recognise emotions by the end of the year, and 65% predict the same for voice assistants. 
• While AI is improving, human agents remain the gold standard for emotionally intelligent interactions: 75% of consumers currently expect human customer service agents to recognise emotions. 

 

High Stakes, Low Trust: The AI Trust Gap   

The report highlights a clear AI trust gap – consumers in Ireland embrace AI for speed and convenience in low-risk tasks, but in emotionally charged situations, they seek human oversight. 

• AI is established as a trusted channel for routine tasks like scheduling a car service (13%) or tracking a package (16%), but confidence drops when more is at stake.  

• As the AI landscape evolves, trust is set to grow too, 29% of consumers in Ireland who don’t currently trust AI to dispute a suspicious transaction will do so within three years, a 22 percentage point increase from today.  

• Today, few consumers trust AI with sensitive tasks. Only 4% would trust AI to close a bank account after a loved one’s death, 5% to dispute a suspicious transaction, and 7% to provide medical information. 

• But over the next three years, this dynamic will shift, with 37% of 18–34-year-olds who don’t currently trust AI to close a loved one’s bank account would do so in the next 3 years, alongside 17% of those aged 55+.  

• However, some tasks will always demand human oversight. 48% of consumers who don’t currently trust AI say they’d never trust AI alone to dispute a suspicious transaction. This doesn’t mean AI has no role to play. It can work seamlessly in the background, provided consumers can still feel a human touch. 

The Customer Paradox – What We Value in Humans, We Criticise in AI (and vice versa) 

Consumers want speed yet opt for human-led interaction. They want accuracy and seamless continuity but will shy away from AI-led services. This creates a paradox. What consumers in Ireland want in customer service doesn’t always match their channel preferences.  

• Ironically, the biggest frustrations, such as long hold times (58%) and repeating information (45%), stem from human-led support. Yet over a quarter of customers say they are most likely to choose talking to a human on the phone over all other forms of customer service channels, including AI, regardless of mood, except when feeling tired when email is preferred.  

• A confused AI is seen as a failed AI. While 58% of consumers see admitting confusion as a human trait, only 28% associate it with AI.  

• This paradox goes both ways. Consumers expect AI to handle complexity but don’t trust it to. Over half (57%) of consumers say struggling with multi-step, layered conversations is more of an AI trait than human, showing a gap between expectations and confidence. 

 

The findings point to a need for businesses to rethink customer relationships to be more proactive. The ‘ideal’ scenario isn’t just better support, it is using AI insights and data analysis to anticipate the need before it arises.  

Choice Matters, But Execution is Everything   

Today’s consumers still expect real-time, omnichannel support. However, while choice matters, this year’s report underlines that execution is what truly shapes the customer experience. 

• While human agents remain essential, over half of EMEA consumers (61%) still value a good AI chatbot. 
• Generational trends make a difference here, with younger, on-demand consumers expecting instant, seamless service, shaping the future of customer relationships. To this end, 72% of 18–34-year-olds value AI chatbots, compared to 50% of those aged 55 and over. 
• In Ireland, the top customer experience priorities remain problem resolution (95%), response times (94%), and accuracy (94%). However, as with the wider EMEA region, at least three-quarters of consumers in Ireland report frustrations across all service channels, creating an opportunity for brands to stand out through best-in-class execution.  

 

Closing the Gap on AI's Growing Pains   

Businesses have invested heavily in AI-powered customer experiences, yet customer expectations keep rising. According to Gartner®, “84% [of business leaders] agreed that customers have higher expectations for service now than in the past.” To close the gap between investment and impact, AI must enhance not just automate the customer experience.¹ 

• AI in customer service isn’t failing but evolving. Two thirds (65%) of consumers say AI chatbots haven’t met their expectations over the past five years.   

• However, AI is making progress and is steadily winning consumers over. One in three consumers (35%) say the effectiveness of AI chatbots now meets or exceeds expectations.  

• AI works best when supporting human agents rather than replacing them. One in ten consumers (12%) say more informed live chat with a human exceeds expectations, proving the value of AI working behind the scenes. 

• Customers want AI to be more than just efficient, they want it to understand them. One in ten (13%) say feeling emotionally disconnected is a major barrier to using AI as a customer service channel. 

• AI must get better at reading context and learning from interactions. 65% of consumers feel AI-driven solutions have fallen short, reinforcing the need for better data and smarter adaptation. 

By bridging these gaps, businesses can unlock AI's potential as a powerful partner, fostering trust and driving exceptional results.  

Download the full ServiceNow Consumer Voice Report 2025   

To learn more, see our snapshot of Ireland findings, read our latest blog, or join our webinar on Thursday 22^nd May.