Citizens Advice Urges Human Contact Right for 14 Million UK Adults Hit by Digital Exclusion
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 21
Citizens Advice Urges Human Contact Right for 14 Million UK Adults Hit by Digital Exclusion
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 21
Summary
More than half of chatbot users saw wasted time, stress or delayed fixes, prompting Citizens Advice to call on energy, banking and telecom providers to guarantee customers a human contact option.
The charity said AI systems often trap people in “endless loops” and deepen exclusion for at least 14 million UK adults, while only 20% said chatbots were their preferred way to communicate.
Offline support has become slower and less reliable as phone, face-to-face and paper channels shrink; correcting an energy bill can take under an hour online but as long as six weeks offline.
Among people who struggled to reach a human over essential-service problems, 49% reported stress or frustration, 44% faced delays and 14% gave up entirely.
The warning adds to wider UK concern over digital exclusion, with 1.7 million households lacking a computer and the government pointing to an £11.9 million digital inclusion fund.