“Hey, it’s Theo,” said the friendly text message from the restaurant I’d just booked on Resy. “Looking forward to having you in tomorrow. Any dietary restrictions or allergies for the kitchen, and are we celebrating anything special this visit?”
What a nice text, I naively thought, as I gamely replied we were coming in for Mother’s Day. It felt good that someone from the restaurant had personally reached out, so I wanted to reciprocate.
We went back and forth for a couple more rounds, with me noting which of the restaurant’s locations we’d be visiting for our celebratory brunch. But then the bubble burst—and I felt like an idiot. “Would you like me to save that it’s Mother’s Day for your future visits too, or just for this one?” the suddenly robotic-sounding rep asked.
Oh, duh! I’m chatting with AI.
I should’ve known better. More and more businesses are using AI for customer service, with one October 2025 survey estimating that half of small businesses in the US employ AI to “elevate” their customer service operations. I’m sure that figure is much higher by now.
To be fair, AI customer service reps can be effective for straightforward tasks, such as scheduling appointments. If an AI can help me book an appointment or reschedule one that fell through, I’m all for it.
My problem, though, is when an AI representative doesn’t outright say it’s AI, or won’t own up to it when asked. And even when an AI rep does admit to it, it’s the not knowing in the first place that makes me feel like a chump—and I grow suspicious of the company I’m dealing with.
For example, one of my medical providers quite clearly uses AI for its customer service calls. (Or at least it became clear in retrospect, when the phone responses came too quickly and the tone of the bot started sounding rote.) The AI did stay in its lane, handling only appointment scheduling and passing on prescriptions and other medical issues to a flesh-and-blood person. But I was annoyed and put off that the AI didn’t identify itself as AI from the get-go.
My interactions with the medical office AI bot didn’t bother me as much as my exchange with “Theo,” the restaurant AI. By giving itself a name but neglecting to disclose that it was a bot, Theo—and by extension the restaurant itself—made me feel like I’d been duped. Did I freak out and cancel my reservation? Well, no. (Mother’s Day brunch is a tough get in New York City.) But the stealth AI chat didn’t give me warm fuzzies about the restaurant either.
To business owners using AI for customer service: I get it. Using AI for customer service calls must be one of the easiest ways to cut costs (even if it’s not fun for the human reps losing their jobs). But if you are going to answer phones or send texts with AI bots, make sure they identify themselves as AI up front. Otherwise, you’ll be saving money at the expense of customer trust—and trust is priceless.
