The Gist
Agents aren’t anti-AI—they’re anti-neglect. Reddit threads show call center workers fear being left behind, not by bots, but by poor leadership and lack of support. AI is increasing chaos, not clarity. From hallucinated call notes to clunky “efficiency” tools, agents say AI often creates more work instead of less. Leaders must step up. To make AI succeed in contact centers, leaders must communicate transparently, invest in upskilling and design AI that actually helps humans—not replaces or monitors them.
The problem for your contact center agents isn’t artificial intelligence.
It’s you. Leadership.
The underlying sentiment across some Reddit threads featuring contact center agents isn’t hatred of AI. It’s the fear of being left behind without support, context or a future.
“I hate to say, but employees will likely prefer the AI vs. slanted evaluators who may perceive things differently call to call,” one Reddit commenter, be_just_this, posted on a thread about how long it will take for AI to replace contact center agents.”
Table of Contents
Call Center Leaders Don’t Listen to Agents, Enough
Call center leaders: some of you are just not listening. It’s not so much the vendors and the integrators; it’s your leadership around these critical functions.
According to loofsdrawkcab, call center agents are not allowed to edit automatic call notes generated by AI. Sometimes it will notate things that are clearly wrong, but call center leaders still hold agents accountable.
“So if QA gives me some BS like, ‘Well the call notes say…’ then I know I can just look up the call and be like, ‘That’s cool that you’re QA and all but if you could do your job and realize that that shit didn’t actually happen, that’d be wonderful :).'”
No wonder turnover for contact center agents is high. Angry customers and biased bosses giving unfair criticism? If there isn’t a call to action for leaders of contact centers now, when will there ever be one?
All told, if contact center leaders want successful AI integration, and they’re listening to agents who share their tales publicly, they must:
Communicate proactivelyEmpower agents with tools and trainingRedefine roles with human strengths in mind
As u/TheReal_AI puts it:
“AI will handle tasks, not relationships… Emotional labor will be the true differentiator.”
Industry Reports: Call Center Agent Frustration With AI Is Real
Ok, a reality check: these are anonymous comments. It’s how Reddit works, of course. And, who doesn’t like to bash the boss every now and again anonymously on the internet? That’s a rite of passage for job boards and sites like Reddit; an act as common as customer-service calls that include the word “representative!”
We get it. Take anonymous comments for what they are.
However, we do have some not-so-anonymous comments and concerns from contact center agents. Our reporting yesterday on the booming conversational AI space revealed a study published this month titled “Customer Service Representative’s Perception of the AI Assistant”. It reports how frontline agents experience AI in the contact center. While AI tools like real-time transcription and automated summaries are intended to save time, many agents say they often create extra work.
Investors and tech innovators don’t seem to care. They are doubling down on artificial intelligence in the contact center and customer service and support space. According to a July 4 Research and Markets report, the global conversational AI market is expected to grow from $17.05 billion in 2025 to $49.8 billion by 2031. That marks a growth projection of 192% overall from 2025 to 2031. And it has a compound annual growth rate of 24.7% projected through 2029.
However, that exciting investment and innovation was tempered with this sobering reality: Just yesterday, July 7, cloud communications platform provider Infobip released findings from a new study conducted by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services (HBR-AS) revealing a hard truth for conversational CX: while 93% of those surveyed from the HBR audience recognize the high importance of creating positive conversational experiences, only 36% believe their organization is highly effective at it. Further, just 11% report they’re highly effective using AI to deliver human-like conversations.
Related Article: The Importance of Conversational Intelligence for Customer Experience
Customer Service and Support Functions at a Crossroads
Reddit. Real research. Industry reports. Whatever. Wherever.
It’s clear: the contact center agent of today is at a crossroads. So, too, is their boss.
Where AI certainly has enormous potential and has produced real results in the customer service and support arena, it’s a tender moment for the contact center agents who have to execute these marketing and technology promises of AI in customer experience.
Here’s a summary of key themes and direct quotes from Reddit conversations about AI in call centers. These insights capture how frontline employees are experiencing and thinking about AI—not just as a tool, but as a force reshaping their careers, workplaces and mental wellbeing.
We analyzed these three Reddit trails:
What Call Center Workers Really Think About AI
Third Party AI Company Replaces QA Staff
Many contact center employees report that AI is actively reshaping their jobs today, not in some distant future. This includes everything from real-time transcription to automated QA.
“My company already utilizes AI for a portion of the calls that we receive. But they have recently decided to replace our entire QA department with some 3rd party AI company that will be responsible for analyzing every call we receive to ‘make us better agents.’ What happened to the QA staff? We never got a straight answer. So, I think it’s obvious they were all let go. Which doesn’t make me feel very good about the security of my position because if they can replace one department with AI, there’s no stopping them from doing it to us.” — u/FlyingFox
AI Fluency Rises, Worker Mobility Collapses
Another call center worker described the monotonous nature of routine B2B inquiries and the increasing reliance on low-cost, outsourced labor that often feels disconnected and underqualified. More recently, AI-driven voice bots have started handling some of these calls with surprisingly fluent language mimicry, signaling how far automation has come.
Learning OpportunitiesView all
“These models are almost to the point where they can do our jobs, and once they get there, it’ll take time for companies to implement them at scale, but they will,” u/RichardBottom wrote. “We already represent a huge bottom chunk of the workforce, and we’re already shoving each other for whatever trace of upward mobility we can get our hands on. I think this is gonna be a shit show. I’ve been typecasted as a call center monkey my whole adult life, and whatever routes there are out are about to get blown to hell.”
Takeaway for contact center leaders: Don’t ask if AI is affecting your agents—ask how. The technology’s presence is uneven but expanding quickly, especially in backend automation and QA.
The Fear Is Real—and Grounded in Experience
Several commenters express genuine anxiety about job loss, often pointing to departments already downsized or outsourced.
“My company is outsourcing and moving towards automation. I’d be surprised if there was anyone left by this time next year,” u/HausWife88 said.
Takeaway for contact center leaders: AI rollouts without clear communication fuel fear and distrust. Employees need transparency and a path forward—not just automation.
Leadership Prioritizes Optics and Cost Savings—Not Experience
From investor buzzwords to vacationing C-suites, agents are skeptical that leaders are prioritizing quality or employee impact in AI decisions.
“Most call centers will say they’re AI-integrated just to fool investors… all they will do is put AI in an internal search bar or something stupid like that.” — u/toocontroversial_4u
“Our C-suite will get their 2 weeks in the Bahamas. We’ll get pay reductions, more work, and less accuracy in our day to day.” — u/DirectionHot8175
Takeaway for contact center leaders: Communicate real use cases and tie AI investments to agent success—not just investor narratives. People notice when the benefits only flow one way.
Related Article: The True Cost of Contact Center Turnover (And How to Lower It)
Agents Want Support Tools, Not Surveillance Systems
Many workers are fine with AI that helps—like suggesting next steps or summarizing notes—but object strongly to AI tools that feel invasive or judgmental.
“When they said they were going to incorporate AI I thought maybe it was going to take the workload off us… no, it’s just language model AI that is listening to you which gives me the creeps.” — u/DiscombobulatedLie91
Takeaway for contact center leaders: AI for productivity = welcomed. AI for grading and watching = resented. Respect privacy, allow overrides and involve agents in deployment feedback.
AI Isn’t Replacing Humans—It’s Making Work More Chaotic
While few believe AI is eliminating jobs wholesale yet, many workers say it’s increasing their workload through inefficiencies, AI hallucinations and broken workflows.
“The content it [AI] produced was often filled with errors and redundancies… If it’s increasing the staff’s workload, how is it also enhancing work efficiency?” — u/Algernon_Asimov
“I have to do 5 extra things that take more total time than just not using the AI in the first place… Because the task only took 3 minutes. The other new work obviously needs an AI tool of its own…” — u/SkeetySpeedy
“AI… just makes everything (expletive deleted) more difficult due to the constant mistakes the AI makes.” — u/DiscombobulatedLie91
Takeaway for contact center leaders: If your AI rollout adds friction instead of removing it, it won’t be seen as progress. Efficiency gains on paper can still feel like burnout on the floor.
Call Center Jobs Aren’t Disappearing—They’re Evolving
Some actual positive vibes here. Rather than extinction, many predict a transition: fewer level 1 agents, more escalations and complex cases for skilled human reps. Some even welcome AI as a “copilot” that enhances their work.
“The jobs will change, not be replaced… AI will handle repetitive queries… Humans will focus on creating value through empathy, understanding and deep problem-solving.” — u/TheReal_AI
“I’m pretty high up in a contact center and the rise of AI has only made the job of a front line agent easier… It’s like having a little helper on your shoulder as you take calls.” — u/Advisor-Unhappy
Takeaway for contact center leaders: Reframe the narrative. The future workforce isn’t smaller—it’s smarter. Train agents for complexity, relationship-building and AI fluency.
Some See opportunity, Not Threat With AI in Call Centers
And more positive vibes. A minority of agents are already working with AI or proactively training for what’s next.
“I already get ChatGPT to do most of my job for me…” — u/BeefBaeby
“I’ve already started training my small team to be more sales minded as I think outbound will last a bit longer…” — u/ehfrehneh
Takeaway for contact center leaders: Highlight and reward these early adopters. Create programs to help agents reskill, upskill and transition into higher-value roles.
Consistency Is Welcomed, but Emotional Intelligence Is Missed
While AI is praised for standardizing processes and reducing frustration from inconsistent answers, most workers agree that it can’t replicate empathy or human nuance.
“What did our customers hate the most? It was actually calling and getting different answers every time by a rep. Well now it’s the same answers albeit different delivery.” — u/Impossible-Affect202
“AI will never fully deal with that irate caller who feels they are right. AI will need to transfer to an actual human for final resolution of any matter.” — u/blackintel
The technology still struggles with edge cases, emotional calls or industry jargon—leaving workers to clean up its mess or calm customers who feel ignored.
“Installers… use odd terminology to describe what is or isn’t working. There’s no way current AI would understand… it would most likely cite wrong information.” — u/kinisonkhan
“If it’s a complex problem… the automated service gets confused easily. Currently, heavy accents also make it fail.” — u/TPWilder
Takeaway for contact center leaders: AI can’t replace emotional labor. Let it handle the repetitive—but keep humans in the loop for complexity and compassion. AI is useful for what needs to be said. But how it’s said still matters. Customers value empathy, flexibility and connection—things AI still struggles with.
Customers Still Want Humans—but Hate the Current System
Ironically, many workers believe customers still prefer humans—just not the ones buried behind bad menus, long holds or inconsistent service.
“Customers would rather an AI relieve them of these horrors than endure them to speak to a human. From a customer perspective, modern human-based customer service is a hardcore (expletive deleted) nightmare.” — u/highDrugPrices4u
“Half of my calls each day are people telling me they hate AI.” — u/OkInvestigator4220
Takeaway for contact center leaders: Bad experiences—not AI itself—are the enemy. If your human service is slow, inconsistent or unavailable, customers will welcome AI. The goal isn’t replacing humans—it’s delivering better service.
Burnout Is Real—and Some Want to Be Replaced
This surprising undercurrent emerged multiple times: despair with call center work so intense that some welcome AI as an escape.
“PLEASE replace me and put me out of my misery.” — u/john_b_walsh
Not all contact center agents are all in on AI, though.
“Give me the complicated manual tasks instead of AI garbage any day… I don’t need stupid AI.” — u/StoneTown
“It is insane to think what we’ll be delivering to clients. Probably why we’re losing them left and right 🙃” — u/DirectionHot8175
Takeaway for contact center leaders: AI won’t solve workplace morale problems—it might intensify them if introduced carelessly. Invest equally in human support.
Contact Center Leadership Action Plan: What to Fix and How
This table outlines key issues raised by contact center agents across multiple Reddit threads and pairs each with a clear action for leaders to take.
ProblemAction for LeadersAI increases workload instead of reducing itEvaluate tools based on actual agent experience, not just surface metrics like handle time. Streamline workflows end-to-end.Lack of communication around AI changes fuels fearCommunicate proactively about AI deployments, including what’s changing, why and how it affects each role.Leadership prioritizes investor optics over agent experienceEnsure AI investments have clear internal use cases tied to agent productivity and satisfaction—not just external messaging.AI tools feel invasive or overly punitiveUse AI for support, not surveillance. Give agents visibility into how AI assessments work and allow overrides when needed.Emotional labor and complexity still require humansKeep humans in the loop for nuanced issues and emotionally charged calls. Train agents for high-complexity tasks.Inconsistent or slow human service drives customers to prefer AIFix broken human service experiences before replacing them. Use AI to support—not mask—underperforming systems.Some agents want to reskill, but aren’t supportedIdentify and reward early AI adopters. Provide upskilling paths into higher-value roles like escalation support or AI training oversight.Burnout drives disengagement and turnoverAddress morale directly. Improve workload balance and recognize the emotional toll of frontline roles in a hybrid AI environment.
Conclusion: Listen Before You Automate
With contact center turnover rates somewhere between 30% and 45%, contact center leaders naturally have their work cut out.
AI isn’t the villain in the contact center—neglect is. Across dozens of Reddit threads and agent testimonies, one message is clear: your frontline teams aren’t afraid of technology, they’re afraid of being ignored. Poorly implemented tools, lack of transparency and a disconnect between leadership and agent experience are fueling burnout more than the bots themselves.
If leaders want successful AI integration, they must shift from automation at all costs to collaboration with purpose—communicating clearly, training intentionally and building AI that serves both customers and agents. The call center of the future depends not just on smarter machines, but on smarter leadership.