Intel ditches human customer support for 'one of the first of its kind in the semiconductor industry' system made up of Copilot-powered AI agents

• Ask Intel replaces phone support as the primary customer entry point
• Microsoft Copilot Studio powers Intel’s centralized AI-driven support assistant
• Intel reduces public phone and social media support channels globally

In a bid to restructure its operations, Intel has launched “Ask Intel,” an AI-powered assistant, to serve as the primary entry point for warranty checks, troubleshooting guidance, and case creation across Intel’s support website.

This shift follows the company’s decision to scale back inbound public phone support in most countries and consolidate customer engagement around web-based systems.

The company has also discontinued direct interactions through certain social media channels, narrowing communication toward centralized digital workflows.

Ask Intel

Ask Intel was developed on Microsoft’s Copilot Studio platform, which allows enterprises to build custom AI agents connected to internal data and operational systems.

The assistant can guide users through diagnostics, open or update service tickets, check warranty coverage, and escalate complex matters to human agents when necessary.

Intel has indicated future updates will expand integration with Intel.com and allow the system to identify required driver updates or automatically generate warranty claims.

The company describes the assistant as one of the first of its kind within the semiconductor industry, signaling a structural shift in how technical support is delivered.

Intel’s own support documentation includes a disclaimer stating that responses generated by the assistant cannot be guaranteed to be accurate.

The company acknowledges the tool may contain bugs or incomplete features as it continues development, but says chat logs may be retained and processed by Intel and third-party providers under its privacy policy, and there is currently no opt-out mechanism for users.

The assistant relies on AI tools to interpret user queries and retrieve relevant guidance from internal systems, yet its autonomous decision-making remains limited to predefined workflows.

According to Intel, early partner feedback on the system has been positive, although it did not release specific figures to support this claim.

It also states that internal performance metrics show improvements in satisfaction and case resolution rates compared to prior quarters.

The system is not 100% automated. Human agents remain involved in the process, although they now operate further downstream after automated triage and case preparation.

This restructuring aligns with Intel’s broader effort to streamline non-manufacturing functions and reduce operational overhead.

Replacing front-line phone support with AI agents represents a major operational adjustment — one that may improve efficiency while also concentrating control within automated systems that are still evolving.

Via Tom's Hardware

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