Verizon Taps Google’s Gemini AI to Improve Customer Service

Verizon is revamping its customer service system with a new AI-powered assistant built on Google’s Gemini technology, aiming to make support faster and more efficient. The updated My Verizon app, launched earlier this week, features the “Verizon Assistant,” a chatbot designed to handle common customer needs such as managing device upgrades, adding new lines, addressing billing questions, and identifying savings opportunities.

The assistant is part of a broader push by Verizon to automate tasks typically handled by human service representatives. According to the company, this shift will provide users with quicker, more flexible interactions. But human help isn’t going away—customers can still request to speak with a live agent, and the chatbot will automatically escalate conversations it can’t resolve on its own.

Dory Butler, Verizon’s senior vice president of customer experience, told The Verge that the company worked closely with Google to tailor the assistant to Verizon’s specific services and customer needs. By building smaller, more focused language models, Verizon aims to limit errors—known as “hallucinations” in AI systems—and has so far achieved “north of 90 percent accuracy with very minor mistakes being made,” Butler said.

Introducing AI-Backed “Customer Champions”

In addition to the AI chatbot, Verizon is deploying what it calls a “Customer Champion” program. These representatives—still human, according to Verizon’s vague announcement—will use Google’s Gemini and Cloud AI tools to tackle more complex service issues. The company says these champions will manage the case end-to-end, providing updates through the app, text messages, or phone calls. The aim is for customers to resolve their issue in a single interaction with Verizon.

To further improve accessibility, Verizon is expanding live support hours and launching 24/7 live chat, a move the company says better accommodates a range of customer schedules and preferences.

What This Means

Verizon’s move signals a growing reliance on AI to reshape how large companies interact with customers. By blending real-time automation with human backup, the company hopes to reduce friction in support experiences without losing the option for personal assistance.

If successful, this hybrid model could become a standard across the telecom industry and beyond—balancing speed, accuracy, and human empathy in a single support channel.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.