Android: An automaton in the form of a human being.
The science fiction of yesterday is often the science of tomorrow. I don't think robots will take over the world and wipe out humans any time soon. But many jobs are being affected or even replaced by automation.
The past few weeks I have encountered some of these robot replacements. My verdict so far: they lack the efficiency and cuteness of Wall-E.
To chatbot or not to chatbot?
My personal answer to that question is apparently wrong.
According to some statistics, consumers are happy to engage with chatbots. Millenials actually like them. Gartner research claims that chatbots reduce the number of customer support enquiries.
I don't object to chatbots. They are much better than holding on a call for 30 minutes. But I don't often find them helpful. Maybe that's because I look for answers before I ask a question. So a chatbot that echoes back the FAQ doesn't help me.
I did have one good experience recently. I asked for a call-back, and the chatbot arranged that. Even better, I got a call-back within 24 hours! In my experience, the promised call-backs often don't happen. The last time I asked SARS for a call-back, I would have missed the deadline if I'd waited until I got it.
The worst chatbot I came across only worked from 8am to 5pm. I don't expect 24/7 human support, but what was the chatbot doing? Having supper and a snooze?
Here's a quick history lesson: Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT created the first chatbot in the 1960s, called ELIZA. The technology has come a long way since then, but it still has a way to go.
Did you hang up on the robot?
I found a strange site called replacedbyrobot.info. If you type in a job, it tells you the chance that robots will replace the job in the future. It's based on a 2013 publication by the Oxford Martin School. It's not very sophisticated, and a bit outdated. This site, like a few others, claims that telesales jobs have a 99% chance of being automated.
How will that be worth the effort? If you've been phoned by a robo-caller, I'll bet you hung up on the poor bot.
I have been plagued by robo-calls recently. As we redirected the office line to my cell phone, I have to answer it regardless of caller id. (FYI: the Office of the President displays as "Caller ID withheld".)
I don't mind telesales calls, as long as the caller is polite. I'm paying it forward: if I am friendly to your sales people, you'll be friendly to ours. But robo-calls ...
I've started to recognise the pattern of the numbers, so now I block them instantly. On the rare occasion I get it wrong, I hang up as soon as I hear that robotic voice. And I don't know anyone who doesn't. So how are these robo-callers going to be successful? I have no idea.
Do you like chatbots? Hate chatbots? Love robo-calls? (No, didn't think so). Please share your thoughts and comments.