Gallup vs SurveyMonkey

AI Adoption Outpaces AI Readiness for CX Leaders

According to McKinsey's 2025 State of AI report, 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, up from 78% in 2024, while 79% use generative AI. However, Gallup found that only 13% of U.S. employees use AI daily and only one in four say their organization has a clear AI plan. The article highlights a growing gap between AI adoption and organizational readiness, with 66% of service organizations planning to use agentic AI in 2026 (up from 39%) and only 35% of organizations having a mature AI literacy program. CX leaders are encouraged to start experimenting with AI despite uncertainty, as standing still is riskier than imperfect progress.

• 88% of organizations use AI in at least one business function (McKinsey 2025).
• 79% of organizations use generative AI.
• Only 13% of U.S. employees use AI daily (Gallup).

Pennsylvania Governor Says Data Center Developers Don't Care About Communities

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro criticized data center developers for disregarding local communities amid growing opposition to AI infrastructure. He signed an executive order on Aug. 18, 2026, requiring compliance with strict responsible infrastructure standards, including earning local support, generating their own power, and protecting water and air quality. The order also removes AI data center projects from a fast-track approval program. The issue has become a political flashpoint, with Shapiro's challenger Stacy Garrity calling it damage control and calling for a pause on data center development. A Gallup poll found 70% of Americans oppose local AI data centers. Amazon previously announced a $20 billion investment in two data center complexes in Pennsylvania.

• Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order on Aug. 18, 2026, mandating compliance with the Governor's Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) Requirements for data centers.
• The order removes AI data center projects from a fast-track approval program and requires developers to earn local support before state permitting.
• Shapiro stated that developers must generate their own power and protect water supply and air quality.

Trump Warns Communities Opposing AI Data Centers

U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly criticized local communities opposing the construction of new artificial intelligence data centers, warning that resistance could leave these areas economically stagnant. Trump's remarks come as Republican strategists express concern that voter backlash over data centers, driven by concerns over energy costs and resource usage, could hurt candidates in the upcoming November midterm elections. Private polling reveals a significant drop in public support for local data center development. These facilities are critical to housing the massive computing power required to train and run advanced models for prominent AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.

• President Donald Trump criticized U.S. communities opposing AI data centers, claiming they risk becoming economically disadvantaged.
• A memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned that local backlash against data centers is negatively impacting Republican Sen. Jon Husted's campaign in Ohio.
• A Wolfe Research report noted a 60-point drop in net support for local data center construction over the past year across party lines.

Brands revive human-staffed phone lines amid AI fatigue

Amid growing consumer frustration with AI customer service, several direct-to-consumer brands like Sproos, Made In, and Trade Coffee are reintroducing human-staffed phone lines as a differentiator. A SurveyMonkey study found that 79% of Americans prefer human interaction over AI agents. These brands report increased customer loyalty and deeper insights into customer journeys through phone conversations. The trend highlights a backlash against over-automation and a strategic move to blend human touch with digital efficiency, with some brands even training staff to provide expert advice and sharing call insights with marketing teams.

• 79% of Americans strongly prefer interacting with a human over an AI agent (SurveyMonkey study).
• Sproos, a DTC showerhead brand, launched a human-staffed phone line on Sundays through Fridays, receiving about 30 calls per day.
• Made In cookware operates an AI chatbot but also maintains a phone line, with staff using FaceTime and Zoom for customer assistance.

EU AI Act Disclosure Rules Shape Customer Service Bot Decisions

This CMSWire article examines how brands should determine when to use AI versus human agents in customer service, citing MIT research showing human-AI combinations often underperform the best human-only or AI-only systems. Consumer studies indicate a strong preference for humans in high-stakes interactions, but acceptance of AI for transactional tasks. The EU AI Act Article 50 transparency obligations, effective August 2, 2026, require clear disclosure when interacting with AI. The article argues that transparency, when done well, builds trust and can expand AI's role over time. It offers a framework based on friction, conditional preference, transparency, and frontline knowledge to guide where AI should handle interactions, emphasizing process redesign over simple task reassignment.

• EU AI Act Article 50 transparency obligations require clear disclosure when interacting with AI, effective August 2, 2026.
• MIT Center for Collective Intelligence reviewed 106 experiments and found human-AI combinations underperformed the best human-only or AI-only systems on average.
• Metrigy's 2025-26 consumer study found 84.7% prefer human agents, but 46% will use AI for specific transactional tasks.

SurveyMonkey announces 40 #1 rankings in G2’s Fall 2026 reports

SurveyMonkey announces 40 #1 rankings in G2’s Fall 2026 reports August 27, 2026