Social Security plans to add artificial intelligence to phone systems, commissioner says [View all]
Source: CBS News
Updated on: May 28, 2025 / 8:39 PM EDT
New York City — Frank Bisignano, commissioner of the Social Security Administration, told CBS News that he believes technology, and specifically artificial intelligence, could be the key to improving his agency's customer service, despite recent changes that have prompted concern among some of the nearly 69 million Americans that receive Social Security each month.
"We're bringing a massive technology effort to transform the servicing agenda," Bisignano said. "We're gonna bring AI into the phone system...I intend it to be completed this year." The agency gets about 390,000 calls per day, according to SSA data. The average wait time for those calls as of April was 68 minutes, down from 112 minutes in January.
"I say, we're gonna meet our beneficiaries where they want to be," said Bisgnano, who was CEO of financial services company Fiserv before being tapped by President Trump in December to lead the SSA. "You want to come into a field office? We we'll always be there. You want to meet us on the web? We will be there. And you want to meet us on the phone, we'll be there."
The SSA announced in March that it would require in-person identity checks at field offices for new and existing beneficiaries, with some limited exemptions. Following backlash to the move, however, the White House in April backed off that requirement, saying that seniors and other recipients could verify their identities over the phone. About six million seniors would have faced a 45-mile trip to reach an SSA office, according to an analysis from the Center on Budget and Public Policies.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/artificial-intelligence-to-be-incorporated-social-security-phone-system-frank-bisignano/
= new reply since forum marked as read