Customer-service chatbots: UK told to keep human access; wrong-advice and insulting-reply cases
UK banks and energy firms have been told not to rely solely on AI chatbots for customer care. One chatbot wrongly told a mortgage borrower that a payment holiday would not affect their credit score, and a Romanian bank's AI assistant called a customer an "idiot" (21–22 September 2026).
Who is affected and how
- banking professional
- Access to a human agent must always be provided alongside the AI chatbot.
- retail customer
- On an important lending question, confirm the chatbot's answer with a written, official source.
Sources
- Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care, UK banks and energy firms toldthe guardian · Sep 21, 2026
- Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care, UK banks and energy firms told | Chatbots | The Guardiantheguardian.com · Sep 21, 2026
- What happens when your bank or energy company puts an AI chatbot between you and a human?easterneye · Sep 22, 2026
- What happens when your bank or energy company puts an AI chatbot between you and a human? | EasternEyeeasterneye.biz · Sep 22, 2026
- A chatbot told a mortgage borrower a payment holiday wouldn't hit their credit score. It can.mortgage professional america · Sep 21, 2026
- AI assistant of Romanian bank called a client an "idiot" after complaining about a useless dialogue - Pravda Romaniaromania.news-pravda.com · Sep 21, 2026
- "The bank said that he had adopted the worst side of human behavior": In Romania, the bank's AI assistant called the client an idiot - Pravda USAusa.news-pravda.com · Sep 21, 2026
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