Home topics news Nicholas Kontopoulos, Vice President, Marketing, APJ, Twilio News News Australian consumers losing patience with AI faster than the rest of Asia Pacific Yajush Gupta February 25, 2026 One in five Australians will switch to a competitor after a slow automated experience. Twilio’s Nicholas Kontopoulos breaks down practical ways SMEs can use AI without destroying trust. What’s happening: New research from Twilio reveals a sharp divide between how patient Australians think they are and how they actually behave when dealing with AI-powered customer service. Why this matters: While 96% of Australians believe they are expected to remain patient and polite in customer service interactions, only 64% report actually maintaining patience when interacting online with brands. Australians have long traded on the ‘no worries’ reputation. But according to new research, that goodwill evaporates the moment a chatbot enters the room. Half of Australian consumers say that the use of AI in customer service is making them less patient, and they are more likely to lose patience when interacting with AI agents than with human agents. 53% of those surveyed said they are patient with AI-powered chatbots and 54% with automated voice menus, while the figures were significantly higher for human interactions, at 88% for live chat with a human and 90% for phone calls with a human agent. The stakes are not just reputational. One in five Australians say they would stop using a product or service or switch to a competitor if service interactions through automated systems take