Technology

Doubt. These large language models can't produce anything outside their dataset. Everything they do is derivative, pretty much by definition. Maybe they can mix and match things they were trained on but at the end of the day they are stupid text predictors, like an advanced version of the autocomplete on your phone. If the information they need to solve your problem isn't in their dataset they can't help, just like all those cheap Indian call centers operating off a script. It's just a bigger script. They'll still need people to help with outlier problems. All this does is add another layer of annoying unhelpful bullshit between a person with a problem and the person who can actually help them. Which just makes people more pissed and abusive. At best it's an upgrade for their shit automated call systems.

And the way customer support staff can be/is abused in the US is so dehumanizing. Nobody should have to go through that wrestling ring.

I’m pretty sure it’d be way nicer experience for the customers.

Lmfao, in what universe? As if trained humans reading off a script they're not allowed to deviate from isn't frustrating enough, imagine doing that with a bot that doesn't even understand what frustration is..

Yeah but are you ready for “my grandma used to tell me $10 off coupon codes as I fell asleep…”

I think you're talking about actual support, that knows their tools and can do things.

This article sound more about the generic outsourced call center that will never, ever get something useful done in any case.

I ordered Chipotle for delivery and I got the wrong order. I don't eat meat so it's not like I could just say whelp, I'm eating this chicken today I guess.

The only way to report an issue is to chat with their bot. And it is hell. I finally got a voucher for a free entree but what about the delivery fee and the tip back? Impossible.

I felt like Sisyphus.

I waited for the transaction to post and disputed the charge on my card and it credited me back.

There's so many if-and-or-else scenarios that no amount of scraping the world's libraries is AI today able to sort out these scenarios.

If you bought the product we don't need to worry about losing money anymore bro

I think once workers can be replaced, there will be some virus that wipes out most of humanity. No point keeping billions of people around if they aren't needed.

You also have to have a reasonable belief the company representative is authorized to do whatever they're doing to be entitled to it.

1, I assume you mean the business does outsourced customer service, not as an internal department.

2, universal basic income time, or let's put people to work on creative, innovative applications not mind numbing shit

I'm interested in if the AI agent has the power to disseminate refunds or at least return authorizations.

One of the things fascinating to me is that some of the problems humans are bad at handling (such as social engineering) AI tends to be even worse at.

It's crazy how people seem fundamentally incapable of looking at the big picture and ask themselves things like, "what even is the purpose of society? Is this the best society humanity is able to come up with? What if I am not ready to accept society as it is presented to me, what are my alternatives, do I even have any? What are my obligations towards a society that marginalizes me and treats me like a second or third tier human, without any hope of ever improving my lot?"

Ask people if they would rather be free and get everything they want without having to work for it. The answers you'll get will boggle your mind.

Exactly. As the article ends:

Not every customer service employee should worry about being replaced, but those who simply copy and paste responses are no longer safe, according to Shah.

“That job is gone,” he said. “100 per cent.”