As businesses rush to hand customer conversations over to AI, a new Gartner survey reveals a striking paradox: 87% of customers still demand access to a human agent when generative AI is involved. This tension sits at the heart of TechSommet’s upcoming virtual summit, “Transforming Customer Conversations with Agentic AI,” scheduled for tomorrow, October 13.
Platinum Sponsor – AISA
Techsommet
Free virtual summit with customer experience and contact-centre leaders examines how to deploy AI agents without losing human accountability.
SHERIDAN, WY, UNITED STATES, October 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The event, supported by Dialpad, zeroes in on a critical inflection point for enterprise technology. According to the Gartner survey of 3,566 customers, the overwhelming majority want a fallback option when dealing with AI-driven service. Tomorrow’s summit, hosted by TechSommet, will explore how organizations can deploy AI agents that take meaningful action while preserving human oversight and accountability.
Event details
What: Transforming Customer Conversations with Agentic AI (virtual summit)
When: Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 11:00 AM ET (8:00 AM PT | 4:00 PM UK | 8:30 PM IST)
Cost: Free
Duration: 100 minutes]
Register: https://techsommet.com/transforming-customer-conversations/
On-demand: [Registrants will receive the recording post-event]
From answering questions to taking action
The evolution of customer service AI is shifting from simple information retrieval to proactive task completion. Gartner’s findings indicate that 58% of generative AI users have already delegated a task to the technology, with that number climbing to 74% in B2B environments. Modern customers increasingly expect AI systems to book appointments, process orders, submit forms, and escalate issues — not merely generate text responses. This functional leap raises significant questions about system design, governance, and oversight.
gartner
Customers want convenience and a human option
The research paints a nuanced picture of consumer sentiment toward AI. While 50% of customers report that AI makes interactions easier, the vast majority — 87% — still want a clear path to speaking with a person. Gartner’s analysts caution that customers who endure multiple failed AI interactions before reaching a human are less likely to return to the tool. For enterprise decision-makers, the strategic question has shifted from maximizing automation to determining precisely where automated systems should yield to human intervention.
gartner
A trust gap to close
Trust remains a formidable obstacle. The Thales Digital Trust Index 2026 reveals that merely 23% of consumers believe companies will use AI responsibly with their data, and 77% say AI adoption alone wouldn’t increase their trust in a company [verify against the Thales source]. Simply deploying AI won’t engender confidence; organizations must demonstrate responsible data handling, appropriate permission structures, and the capacity for human review of automated decisions.
What the summit will cover
Moderated by Neal Topf, CEO of Callzilla, the session assembles leaders across customer experience, product development, AI design, and contact-centre operations to tackle several key themes:
How to move from scripted chatbots to AI agents that act across customer-facing workflows
“Bounded autonomy”: letting agents work within defined permissions, policies and escalation rules, with human review for complex billing disputes, sensitive data requests and other high-impact decisions
Governance basics for agentic systems, including access controls, monitoring, audit trails and clear rules for when an agent must stop and hand off
How contact-centre teams and AI agents can work side by side, and what that means for roles, training and service standards
Moderator
Neal Topf, CEO, Callzilla
Featured speakers
Rizwan Sherif, Director of Customer Experience, Credit Repair Cloud
Calvin Hohener, Lead Product Manager, Dialpad
Anne Cantera, Founder, [confirm spelling: elementylintelligence.ai]; Director of Omnimodal Design at a stealth AI startup
Brian Jeppesen, Director, Contact Center Operations, Fertitta Entertainment, LLC
Together, the speakers span customer experience, product management, AI design and contact-centre operations
Who should attend
CX, customer service and contact-centre leaders [adjust] who are evaluating or deploying agentic AI and want practical views on responsible deployment.
Event sponsor: Dialpad
Dialpad is an AI-powered communications and customer intelligence platform.
Register now: https://techsommet.com/transforming-customer-conversations/
About TechSommet
TechSommet organizes virtual executive briefings, specialist panels, and industry summits that connect business and technology leaders around emerging technology and enterprise transformation.
Media contact:
TechSommet Events Team
laura@techsommet.com | https://techsommet.com/
Gartner survey: “Gartner Survey Finds 87% of Customers Say Companies Using GenAI for Customer Service Must Provide Access to a Human Agent,” August 4, 2026. Thales: Digital Trust Index 2026. TechSommet is not affiliated with Gartner or Thales.
ANKIT MALVIYA
Techsommet LLC
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
YouTube
Why it matters: As agentic AI moves from novelty to operational necessity, the gap between automation capabilities and consumer trust could determine which enterprises succeed. This summit arrives at a pivotal moment when companies must balance efficiency gains against the clear customer demand for human accountability — a balance that will likely shape customer experience strategies for years to come.
