August 08, 2025
Most Companies Aren’t Ready to Govern the AI They’re Deploying
As agentic AI rapidly moves into the customer experience mainstream, most businesses are pressing ahead without the safeguards needed to manage it responsibly. According to a new global study released by Genesys, there is a widening gap between AI adoption and governance, and growing consumer unease as a result.
While 91% of CX leaders surveyed believe agentic AI will help deliver faster, more effective, and personalised service, just 31% say their organisations have comprehensive, organisation-wide policies in place to govern it. Even more concerning is the fact that, among companies with no AI governance at all, 28% still believe they’re ready to deploy it.
This mismatch between confidence and preparedness risks eroding trust. Consumers are not only aware of AI’s presence, they’re actively questioning how it’s being used. Many say they want clear rules governing AI interactions, but companies have yet to meet that expectation.
Key Vulnerabilities
More than a third of CX leaders (35%) admit their organisations have little to no formal AI governance. At the same time, both leaders and consumers worry about AI’s reliability.
Over half of CX leaders (59%) acknowledge that AI hallucinations, when systems generate inaccurate or misleading content, could damage customer loyalty, trigger legal issues, and harm their brand. Thirty-seven percent of consumers believe AI fabricates information, and many are concerned about how their personal data is used.
Olivier Jouve, chief product officer at Genesys, said: “Agentic AI is opening up exciting new possibilities for how organisations serve their customers, but earning consumer trust has to grow alongside that progress. As these systems take on more responsibility, it’s essential that businesses stay transparent and accountable in how they’re used. With the right guardrails in place from the start, companies can build lasting confidence by responsibly innovating customer experiences that deliver new levels of personalisation and effectiveness.”
Consumers ranked data transparency as their top priority when interacting with AI. And while 81% of CX leaders say they trust agentic AI to handle sensitive data, only 36% of consumers agree.
Despite these trust gaps, the research also points to opportunity. More than half of consumers (58%) say they don’t care whether their issue is resolved by a human or AI — as long as it’s handled quickly and effectively. This might mean that efficiency can win people over, but only if it’s supported by transparency and clear oversight.
