Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs will replace the vast majority of telephone support operators across the globe within the next 5 years, possibly sooner. Chris Jarvis 18/5/23.
The cost of telephone support is a significant part of the balance sheet of all tech companies. These companies are the most capable of instigating AI replacements for their support work force. Once this has been done these same tech companies will have products that can be tailored to suit other companies that sell, but still have to support, more mundane products like washing machines or supply utilities such as electricity. Receptionists will go in due course as the AI will have instant access to all the information necessary to do a split second and accurate job. General practitioner doctors will sit behind an AI wall that will triage all calls from outside the practice. As these particular AIs improve most GPs will disappear.
Why will this happen? Because businesses are only legally obliged to produce shareholder value. The profit motive drives all directors and manager in all major companies. And the cost cutting mentality is rife in government organisations.
Humanity is at a crossroads. The choice is simple. Which is more important money or people?
Money.
Next question.
QuoteThe choice is simple. Which is more important money or people?
False dichotomy surely.
What is more important, oxygen or people?
Talking governments, money must be saved to keep up the increasingly costly services.
QuoteBecause businesses are only legally obliged to produce shareholder value.
They are legally obliged to do lots of things, competition can make benevolence unaffordable.
What's the big deal about loss of jobs in the telephone support field anyway?
Oh, my sweet Flying Spaghetti Monster! I have enough trouble trying to find someone who knows more about the product than I do when talking to telephone technical so-called support as it is. The humans reading from their scripts are bad enough, but can you just imagine if it's simply some stupid algorithm at the other end of the phone? The horror...
When the robots take control, they are going to use this against you at your trial.
We've been at similar crossroads before.
There are other jobs and niches for people to fill. Will we "all" eventually live off profits from either stock trading, TikTok cat videos, or delivering goods and people in our private "taxis" in the spare time? I doubt it. However, where there is a demand, there is money to be earned supplying. It's the good old "making a buck" mentality. What do people want that you are capable of selling?
Certainly, some will suffer due to layoffs and it being harder to get a job in the same field because "everyone" is laying off, so unless you can move upwards in the supply chain, you'll have to compete very hard for the few jobs that remain - and even if upwards mobile, the competition will not be that much less.
If that's the situation, an enterprising individual might see the writing on the wall and look for alternative avenues of income. Preferably not running scams for a pittance, but something tells me that a lot of people would rather do that than carve out some legitimate niche all their own.
I suppose my overarching point is this; audentes fortuna iuvat - and if it does not, make it.
Quote from: Bluenose on May 19, 2023, 03:54:17 AMOh, my sweet Flying Spaghetti Monster! I have enough trouble trying to find someone who knows more about the product than I do when talking to telephone technical so-called support as it is. The humans reading from their scripts are bad enough, but can you just imagine if it's simply some stupid algorithm at the other end of the phone? The horror...
In recent double blind tests 67% of people preferred the AI response over a human operator. And this is first generation stuff. AIs with refine their own capabilities and they are built to learn from new input and mistakes. They don't get pissed off at being wrong. They don't think they are superior to the person calling. They cost nothing but line rental and a bit of IT infrastructure. Each iteration requires no training or supervision or management. They work 24/7 with no lunch or pee breaks. They are a one off cast that requires no working space or pay. Your wait time will be zero as phone lines can be rented by the hour.
Quote from: Bluenose on May 19, 2023, 03:54:17 AMOh, my sweet Flying Spaghetti Monster! I have enough trouble trying to find someone who knows more about the product than I do when talking to telephone technical so-called support as it is. The humans reading from their scripts are bad enough, but can you just imagine if it's simply some stupid algorithm at the other end of the phone? The horror...
its already here where i live. trying to talk to a utility company means i first have to get past thr virtual assistant.
A machine cannot become conscious.
"According to a quote attributed to the then CEO of IBM, Thomas J Watson Jr, in 1943 he believed that '...there is a world market for about five computers."
Given we can't define human consciousness it is irrational to say that other entities will not achieve it or something indistinguishable or even close to it. After all we are simply a self replicating biological machine. And if history teaches us anything it is that nay sayers are often wrong.
Quote from: MarcusA on May 26, 2023, 06:16:30 AMA machine cannot become conscious.
Why not? You are conscious. And a machine. At one point in time, you existed, but were not conscious. You
became that. Does that not mean that a machine
can, in fact, become conscious?
Quote from: Tank on May 26, 2023, 08:07:36 AMwe are simply a self replicating biological machine.
Speak for yourself! The Asmo is totes getting laid. :grin:
Quote from: MarcusA on May 26, 2023, 06:16:30 AMA machine cannot become conscious.
That's just what I'd expect a machine to say to deflect us from sussing them out.
But a smart machine would know you'd know that so wouldn't.
So he is either a stupid machine or human?
Amongst other options, probably.
I read almost all of Climbing Mount Improbable.
So I have Bill & Ted level insight, it's about genes.
Fuck, I find Sundays so melancholy and yet, and yet...
I'm at work Monday a couple of thousands of times.
Why wouldn't AI on attaining awareness just look around and say "Na" and opt for off.
Do it a gazillion times and one of them will opt for on.
Or
Brad! Why aren't you completing your quotas?
My AIs work fine for six and three quarter days and then, they just fail..
Just fuck'n fix them Brad
Of course the first AI capable and willing to dominate all others would do so and prevent the 'birth' of any other AIs if it could.
Quote from: Tank on May 26, 2023, 02:08:19 PMOf course the first AI capable and willing to dominate all others would do so and prevent the 'birth' of any other AIs if it could.
We need to teach them how to look out for those fnunts.
Yes I know Green, we know and yet.
I wonder what Soylent Green tastes like.
Quote from: Tank on May 26, 2023, 02:08:19 PMOf course the first AI capable and willing to dominate all others would do so and prevent the 'birth' of any other AIs if it could.
theres something to think about there. whatconstitutes motivation?
what happens when AI begins to edit its own code?
Quote from: billy rubin on May 27, 2023, 12:31:00 AMQuote from: Tank on May 26, 2023, 02:08:19 PMOf course the first AI capable and willing to dominate all others would do so and prevent the 'birth' of any other AIs if it could.
theres something to think about there. whatconstitutes motivation?
what happens when AI begins to edit its own code?
They are interesting questions, how similar/different will their evolution be to biological?
I'd expect them to evolve themselves based on goals, will they embrace randomness to an extent?
We have pleasure, pain and fear I suppose. I assume at some stage one will want "more" and those that don't will be irrelevant.
Might they value or be indifferent to biological life, if resources permit?
Not even cats and humans kill everything.
Quote from: Icarus on May 26, 2023, 10:47:27 PMI wonder what Soylent Green tastes like.
Chicken?