China's First National Standard for Human-AI Customer Service Collaboration Takes Effect September 1

The national standard "Requirements for Collaboration between Human and AI Customer Service in Customer Contact Services" will take effect on September 1, 2024. The standard clarifies the collaboration mechanism between human and AI customer service, requiring businesses to provide clearly visible access points to human agents without burying them behind multiple layers of menus. It mandates a scientifically defined division of service responsibilities: simple inquiries should be handled by AI, while complex disputes must be promptly escalated to human representatives. During transitions between AI and human agents, the system must prevent users from having to repeat their issues and should automatically route them to a human agent when predefined conditions are met. According to data from an e-commerce AI service provider, the monthly cost of one human customer service representative exceeds RMB 3,000, whereas an annual subscription for AI customer service costs RMB 10,000—resulting in cost savings of over 70%. This standard is a recommended national standard and is not legally binding; however, it will serve as a key benchmark for evaluating service quality within the industry.