Conversational AI uptake remains low, despite its promise

Voice AI is expected to reduce global call centre labour costs by as much as US$80 billion by 2026, according to Gartner. However, Australia's adoption of conversational AI for customer service remains relatively low compared to other countries. "Nine-in-ten Australians are now smartphone users, with Siri, Google or Alexa at their fingertips," said Kun Wu, Founder and Managing Director of AI Rudder, a leading voice AI provider in the Asian Pacific (APAC). Voice AI technologies have enhanced consumers' lives in terms of communication, media use, entertainment and information searches. Given this high consumer penetration, Wu says the potential exists for the Australian customer service industry to follow APAC markets in using voice AI to deliver high-quality service.