Max Levchin
Max Levchin, Affirm's CEO, said AI chatbots could save the company money in one to three years.
  • Affirm is investing heavily in AI-powered chatbots to cater to Gen Z's phone aversion.
  • AI chatbots are expected to replace 20-30% of customer service agents by 2026, according to Gartner.
  • Despite the potential savings and efficiency, AI customer service has seen limited adoption.

Gen Z hates talking on the phone, so companies like the $9.7 billion buy-now, pay-later giant Affirm are betting big on AI-powered chatbots.

The bots let voice-averse customers solve problems online, Affirm CEO Max Levchin said on an earnings call on Wednesday.

"We've been investing really heavily in this idea that Gen Z consumers really love chatting versus calling and they have no problem chatting with an Al, especially if the Al is intelligent," Levchin said.