Autonomous Customer Support Agent
An AI agent handles customer service requests, including issuing refunds, applying credits, and modifying account settings.
What happens today
Companies deploy AI agents that can autonomously decide to issue refunds, sometimes worth thousands of dollars, without human review. These agents make judgment calls about customer complaints, apply company policies, and execute financial transactions. When the agent makes a mistake—issuing an inappropriate refund, denying a legitimate claim, or mishandling sensitive customer data—the company often points to the AI system as if it were an independent actor.
Where accountability breaks down
The customer has no clear recourse. The company claims the AI made an autonomous decision. The AI vendor disclaims liability in their terms of service. The developer who trained the model is several steps removed. Meanwhile, the customer is left dealing with the consequences of a decision that no human reviewed or approved. The diffusion of responsibility means no one feels accountable for fixing the problem or preventing it from recurring.
How human-mapped liability would change incentives
Under a human-mapped liability framework, the company deploying the agent would designate a specific individual responsible for the agent's customer service decisions. This person would have authority to review the agent's behavior, override its decisions, and be held accountable when things go wrong. This creates clear incentives: the responsible party will ensure proper guardrails, monitoring, and escalation procedures are in place. Customers know exactly who to contact when they have concerns.