SpaceX is now using a voice-based AI assistant to answer Starlink customer support calls. The result will put you in touch with a voice that sounds like a human, but is actually Grok, the chatbot from Elon Musk’s xAI, which SpaceX absorbed in February.
“Hi there, I’m an AI assistant powered by Grok,” Starlink’s customer support agent told us on Monday, after we asked whether we were talking to an AI or a human.
Starlink’s online customer support center now prominently features the phone hotline. In the US, it’s 888-GO-STARLINK (888-467-8275) or 866-606-5103.
(Credit: Starlink.com)
The AI isn’t just an automated chatbot that asks you to press 1 or 2 to advance to your next selection. Instead, it can converse with you in real time to answer sales-related questions and troubleshoot technical issues with satellite internet service. The chatbot says it can even take your personal information and set up a Starlink account, enabling you to order.
If you insist on talking to a human, it can arrange that too. “I can help with most things, but if you prefer to speak with a human, I can set up a call back for you,” the AI assistant told us. It’ll then ask for your time zone and the best times for a human agent to call. In our case, it also set up a callback immediately after we complained about a speed issue. Five minutes later, we received a call from a human customer support agent.
Previously, Starlink’s hotline would first require users to supply the phone number registered to their subscription. But it now connects you directly to the AI assistant. The additions seem to be an expansion of the text-based Grok, which was recently integrated into the Starlink site and app to also answer customer support queries.
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Relying more on Grok might help address one of Starlink’s main gripes: its lack of live customer support. Originally, the satellite internet service required customers to submit an online customer support ticket for help, which could lead to long wait times to resolve pressing connection issues.
In 2024, SpaceX quietly launched a customer hotline in the US and Canada. The company has since expanded the hotline to offer “24/7” English-language support as Starlink has aggressively expanded across the US, introducing new discounts and a larger retail presence.
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About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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