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AI agent statistics (2026)

AI agents are reshaping customer operations fast: conversational AI is projected to cut contact-center labor costs by $80 billion by 2026 (Gartner), automated calls cost 90–95% less than a human agent, and the AI customer-service market is on track to reach $117.9B by 2034. Below is a sourced reference of the numbers that matter, updated for 2026.

By JelliuUpdated June 16, 2026

Market size & growth

$17.97B

global conversational AI market in 2026, growing to $82.46B by 2034 (21% CAGR)

Source: Fortune Business Insights ↗

$117.9B

projected AI customer-service market by 2034, from $15.1B in 2026 (25.8% CAGR)

Source: Market research, 2026 ↗

$47.5B

projected voice AI agents market by 2034, from $2.4B in 2024 (34.8% CAGR)

Source: Market.us ↗

Cost savings

$80B

projected contact-center labor-cost savings from conversational AI by 2026

Source: Gartner ↗

90–95%

lower cost per automated call (~$0.40 vs $7–$12 for a human agent)

Source: CX Today, 2026 ↗

40%

average reduction in support costs reported by early AI adopters

Source: Forrester, 2026 ↗

68%

lower cost per interaction ($4.60 → $1.45) with AI support

Source: Industry, 2026 ↗

ROI & performance

331–391%

3-year ROI reported by companies deploying voice AI

Source: Forrester Consulting ↗

<4 min

AI first-response time vs 6+ hours; resolution from 32h → 32 min (87% faster)

Source: Industry, 2026 ↗

90%

of customers say an immediate response is essential; 60% define it as under 10 minutes

Source: Industry, 2026 ↗

Containment & deflection

40–85%

of routine call volume AI agents now handle at a fraction of human cost

Source: Jobix.AI, 2026 ↗

80–87%

call-containment rates reported by leading enterprise voice AI

Source: Industry, 2026 ↗

55–70%

ticket deflection achievable with well-deployed AI customer service

Source: Builts AI, 2026 ↗

Adoption

91%

of customer-service leaders are under executive pressure to implement AI

Source: Gartner, 2026 ↗

88%

of contact centers are deploying AI at scale

Source: CMSWire, 2026 ↗

76%

of contact centers plan to invest in AI within the next two years

Source: Industry, 2026 ↗

Figures are drawn from publicly reported 2025–2026 industry research (Gartner, Forrester, Fortune Business Insights, Market.us, and others) and reflect AI agents and voice AI across customer service, sales, and contact-center operations. Each statistic links to a source that reports it.