In 2025, artificial intelligence equals infrastructure. Within the global outsourcing industry, AI and automation are changing how businesses work, expanding the horizon of what can be streamlined, predicted, or executed without human hands and offering speed, precision, and scalability, from backend analytics to customer service bots. But beneath the surface of that promise lies a quieter truth: when the human element is stripped away, the experience often falters.
State of Outsourcing in 2025: Current Trends reports that 73% of companies have integrated AI into their outsourcing frameworks. And the motivations are clear: cost efficiency, faster service, and scalable operations. Generative AI, in particular, has become a staple for content creation, automated chats, and feedback loops. It’s efficient, tireless, and cheaper than human labor.
Yet, despite this proliferation, customer satisfaction has declined. The ISG Star of Excellence found that satisfaction ratings dropped more than 3% over the past year. Generative AI scored lowest among emerging technologies on the customer experience scale, posing the problem with Artificial Intelligence: speed and availability aren’t always enough.
Klarna’s AI Cautionary Tale
Consider Klarna. In early 2024, the Swedish fintech firm leaned heavily into automation, laying off 700 customer service agents and replacing them with AI. At first, the metrics looked promising. Response times plummeted, costs dropped, and the transition was hailed as a bold step forward.
But then came the backlash: customer complaints mounted, service frustrations spilled into public forums, and trust eroded. Eventually, Klarna was forced to reevaluate its approach. Klarna’s experience reveals a simple but significant truth that efficiency doesn’t guarantee empathy. And in service industries, that distinction matters.
Why the Human Touch Still Matters
AI cannot read frustration between the lines. It doesn’t grasp context beyond keywords or offer compassion when emotions run high. A chatbot can solve routine tasks, but it rarely de-escalates a tense interaction or anticipates the unspoken needs of a worried customer.
That’s why more businesses are shifting toward hybrid models that combine AI’s brute efficiency with human agents’ intuition and flexibility. AI handles high-volume, low-touch interactions in this setup while humans step in for complex, sensitive, or emotionally nuanced conversations. The result is a cost-effective operation and a brand experience that customers remember for the right reasons.
In the Philippines, a hub for global outsourcing, BPO firms are evolving with this shift. Talent is being re-skilled to supervise AI systems and interpret data to deliver more value than any script-bound algorithm ever could. It’s a quiet revolution, one where the human worker becomes the co-pilot of AI rather than its casualty.
Looking Ahead
For decision-makers, the challenge lies in crafting harmony between people and machines. This is exactly where Reliasourcing and its outsourcing model plays a pivotal role, with our approach that integrates AI to streamline processes but places experienced professionals at the helm to ensure empathy isn’t lost in translation.
AI is simply a force multiplier, and that human touch is the very workforce amplified, so when deployed thoughtfully, with human oversight and customer impact in mind, both experience and outcome become elevated.
As outsourcing continues to evolve in 2025, one thing is clear: technology must bend toward humanity, not the other way around. Those who get the balance right—who see the nuance and design for it—will lead the next chapter of the industry.
To explore the broader trends driving this transformation, read the State of Outsourcing in 2025, and for AI-enhanced outsourcing solutions that don’t compromise the human touch, see our AI Solutions and Customer Success Services.
About Reliasourcing
Reliasourcing is a premier outsourcing solutions provider in the Philippines. We deliver tailored services that help businesses across industries achieve operational efficiency and scalability. With a focus on customer experience and innovation, Reliasourcing continues to be a trusted partner in unlocking potential through outsourcing.
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