AI replaces drudgery, not the customer relationship.

In 2024 the public narrative was that AI was doing the work of 700 agents. The follow-up was a more honest one: the team went too far, quality slipped, and headcount returned. The lesson for BNPL is not anti-AI. It is that AI scales the parts of CX no human should be doing twice, and human empathy stays in the seat where the dispute, the chargeback, and the regulated conversation actually live.