AI meets AARP as Social Security’s rushed phone bot frustrates 74M beneficiaries

The Social Security Administration’s newly deployed AI phone bot is frustrating callers with glitchy performance and canned responses, leaving vulnerable Americans unable to reach human agents for complex questions. Former agency officials say the Trump administration rushed out technology that was tested but deemed unready during the Biden administration, prioritizing speed over functionality for a system serving 74 million beneficiaries.

What you should know: The AI bot handles nearly 41% of Social Security calls but frequently provides irrelevant responses to specific inquiries.

• John McGing, calling about preventing overpayments for his son, found the bot would only provide generic answers regardless of his question, with key presses having no effect.
• Social Security’s Facebook page regularly receives negative reviews about the uncooperative bot.
• The agency has eliminated online statistics showing call wait times, which previously averaged two hours.

Why this matters: Social Security serves some of America’s most vulnerable populations, with more than a third of recipients saying they couldn’t afford basic necessities without benefits.

• The agency has lost 6,200 employees, leading to deteriorating customer service despite technological investments.
• Critics worry the rushed AI deployment signals a shift toward less human-centered service for disabled and elderly Americans.

What former officials are saying: Biden-era Social Security leaders say they developed the technology but wanted to improve its accuracy before deployment.

• “With the new administration, they’re just kind of like, let’s go fast and fix it later, which I don’t agree with, because you are going to generate a lot of confusion,” said Marcela Escobar-Alava, former chief information officer under Biden.
• “We wanted to ensure the automation produced consistent and accurate answers, which was going to take more time,” she explained.

The bigger tech push: Commissioner Frank Bisignano, a former Wall Street executive, has requested $600 million in additional tech funding for fiscal 2026.

• Planned investments include online scheduling, fraud detection systems, and website redesigns.
• When challenged about replacing human staff with AI, Bisignano responded: “You referred to SSA being on an all-time staffing low; it’s also at an all-time technological high.”

Real-world impact: New security measures are creating additional burdens for beneficiaries beyond phone service issues.

• A security authentication program for direct deposit changes requires in-person identity verification for 5.8 million beneficiaries when automated systems detect anomalies.
• Financial adviser Christopher Hensley reported a client had to travel 30 minutes to verify her identity after a routine bank routing number change triggered fraud alerts.

Political concerns: Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern about the agency’s direction.

• House Republicans wrote to Social Security in May supporting efficiency but cautioning about “inadequate customer service.”
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the AI tool is “making it even harder for people to get help over the phone — and near impossible if someone needs an American Sign Language interpreter or translator.”