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Will AI Replace Human Customer Relationship Managers? Advantages and Ethical Implications
Subject area: Management and Commerce · Area of research: CRM
Abstract
The growing use of autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents in customer-facing operations raises a practical question for customer relationship management (CRM): can systems designed to automate interactions take over the work traditionally performed by human relationship managers? This conceptual paper examines that question by bringing together research on AI-enabled marketing, automated service agents, customer trust and ethical human–technology interaction. The analysis distinguishes the completion of individual service tasks from the broader responsibility of sustaining customer relationships. The literature indicates that AI can handle many predictable, information-intensive activities, including responding to standard enquiries, retrieving account information and supporting routine transactions. Yet efficiency in these settings should not be interpreted as evidence that automated agents can consistently manage ambiguity, emotional strain, exceptions or consequential decisions. The paper develops a framework based on three assessment dimensions: operational suitability, relational suitability and ethical acceptability. These dimensions inform three possible service arrangements: AI substitution for bounded tasks, AI augmentation of employee work, and human-led handling of complex or sensitive encounters. Six propositions are advanced for empirical investigation. The paper argues that the future of CRM is more likely to involve a redistribution of responsibilities than the wholesale elimination of human relationship managers. Its contribution is to connect task performance with relationship quality and responsible governance when organizations decide how much authority to delegate to AI.
Keywords
Artificial intelligence, autonomous agents, customer relationship management, customer trust, human–AI collaboration
References
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How to cite this paper
@article{1725039,
author = {Dr. Reetha Dinesh Ph.D.},
title = {Will AI Replace Human Customer Relationship Managers? Advantages and Ethical Implications},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {5},
pages = {2272-2279},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1725039.pdf},
abstract = {The growing use of autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents in customer-facing operations raises a practical question for customer relationship management (CRM): can systems designed to automate interactions take over the work traditionally performed by human relationship managers? This conceptual paper examines that question by bringing together research on AI-enabled marketing, automated service agents, customer trust and ethical human–technology interaction. The analysis distinguishes the completion of individual service tasks from the broader responsibility of sustaining customer relationships. The literature indicates that AI can handle many predictable, information-intensive activities, including responding to standard enquiries, retrieving account information and supporting routine transactions. Yet efficiency in these settings should not be interpreted as evidence that automated agents can consistently manage ambiguity, emotional strain, exceptions or consequential decisions. The paper develops a framework based on three assessment dimensions: operational suitability, relational suitability and ethical acceptability. These dimensions inform three possible service arrangements: AI substitution for bounded tasks, AI augmentation of employee work, and human-led handling of complex or sensitive encounters. Six propositions are advanced for empirical investigation. The paper argues that the future of CRM is more likely to involve a redistribution of responsibilities than the wholesale elimination of human relationship managers. Its contribution is to connect task performance with relationship quality and responsible governance when organizations decide how much authority to delegate to AI.},
keywords = {Artificial intelligence, autonomous agents, customer relationship management, customer trust, human–AI collaboration},
month = {November},
}