Social Security plans to add artificial intelligence to phone systems, commissioner says

CBS News

a day ago

Washington — 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.
There are questions about how Bisgnano plans to implement changes despite a smaller workforce. In February, the agency said it intended to cut its staffing levels down from about 57,000 to 50,000, a 12% reduction. The website for the White House's Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has identified more than a dozen field offices for closure.
Bisignano argues that the cuts won't prevent the SSA from increasing its efficiency, which he believes can be achieved "through technology and process engineering."
The SSA turns 90 this year, but as the U.S. ages, the gap between benefit payments and revenue is widening. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2033, the fund used to pay retirement and survivor benefits will be exhausted.
"There's lots of senators that I've heard from that have all ideas about how to fix it," Bisignano said. "So, we need to just go to work on how to fix it."
Bisignano is seeking to reassure Americans who are planning to file for Social Security in 10 years that they will still receive their full benefits, not just a portion of them.
"Everybody is committed to Social Security for the rest of time."