China launches national standard for human-AI customer service coordination

Starting September 1st, China will enforce its first national standard designed to regulate the interaction between human and artificial intelligence-based customer support services. The regulation addresses widespread consumer frustrations: difficulty finding human representatives and repetitive chatbot responses that fail to address actual issues. The expansion of AI in customer service is primarily driven by cost reduction. A human agent's monthly salary starts at 3,000 yuan, while AI service providers offer annual subscriptions for 10,000 yuan, cutting expenses by over 70%. Industry analysts note that some companies deliberately leverage this advantage, using bots to exhaust users' patience and discourage complaints. The new standard assigns clear responsibilities to each service type and ensures customers can reach human support when needed. Though non-mandatory, it establishes benchmarks for the industry and provides grounds for consumers to demand better service quality.