The ethical impacts of using intelligent chatbots in customer services: benefits and challenges
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Abstract
The growing use of intelligent chatbots in customer service, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP), is significantly transforming the way companies interact with users. These tools promise continuous, fast, and personalized assistance but raise major ethical concerns such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, transparency, and the potential replacement of human agents. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative). Structured questionnaires were administered to 150 participants to analyze their profiles, usage behaviors, perceptions, and ethical expectations. Data analysis was supported by a literature review on ethical AI principles, and processed using Excel with triangulation techniques to ensure validity. The main objective is to analyze the ethical impacts of using intelligent chatbots in customer service by identifying perceived benefits and challenges, and to propose recommendations for ethical and responsible adoption. Findings reveal that while users appreciate the benefits of chatbots (speed, availability, accessibility), they also express concerns about data protection, lack of transparency, absence of human oversight, and potential bias. Most respondents believe chatbots should complement, not replace human agents. Key ethical expectations include clearer explanations of automated decisions, bias reduction, and stronger regulatory frameworks. Chatbots hold great potential for enhancing customer experience, but their deployment requires a rigorous ethical framework. Transparency, human oversight, and algorithmic accountability must be strengthened to ensure that AI truly serves human interests.
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