To the Editor:
Re “Customer Service Chatbots Must Be Stopped,” by Samuel A.A. Levine, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (Opinion guest essay, Oct. 22):
Mr. Levine articulated the frustration that many of us feel regarding customer service chatbots, but his pledge to use his office to address this vexing problem is what makes his essay so significant.
In an era in which artificial intelligence is rapidly making inroads into virtually all aspects of society, it sometimes feels as if A.I. is taking over too much, too fast. A.I. has the capacity to be an asset in so many realms, but when it comes to an aggrieved consumer who is simply seeking to address a problem with a service provider, it is a human voice, human comprehension and human empathy that are needed, not an A.I. chatbot.
The exasperation we feel when yelling at a chatbot on the phone or online because it does not grasp what we need and does not have the ability to solve our specific situation does no one any good. In fact, we often walk away feeling more aggravated than when we began. That irritation does not benefit the consumer or the service provider.
Mr. Levine’s desire to take action in New York City and curb the A.I. customer service chatbot crisis is commendable. Others should follow his lead.
N. Aaron Troodler Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
To the Editor:
How to stop a chatbot? Just fight fire with fire. I had a recent tussle with an A.I. chatbot on the phone that continually misunderstood my question. Ignoring my plea for a human representative, it just stopped trying to answer my question altogether and asked how it did on a scale from one to five.
Responding “zero” and hanging up, I immediately went to my computer A.I. and asked how to get around this frustrating bot. Its lucid instructions soon had me talking to a real live agent on my next call.
Marcia Bartusiak Sudbury, Mass.
To the Editor:
Samuel A.A. Levine writes of his experience battling the customer service chatbots and automated menus that plague us all. I have found a solution. It’s not perfect, but it works most of the time. Strawberry shortcake.
When you need to reach a human, just say “strawberry shortcake.” The voice on the other end is a chatbot. Chatbots have never encountered strawberry shortcake, and they have no idea what to do. Just keep on saying it, and the chatbot will soon relent and transfer you to a human.
The idea is to make the chatbot give up in frustration before you do. Remember, it’s us against the machines.
Walter Williams New York
A Public Health Scandal
To the Editor:
Re “After Return, Trump Gave Many Big Polluters a Pass” (front page, Oct. 25):
By giving a free pass to polluters, the Trump administration is waging a concerted attack on the nation’s responsibility to protect the public against one of the most pervasive diseases of our time: cancer, which kills more than 600,000 Americans every year.
I have analyzed dozens of federal agency actions over the past two years and have found a governmentwide campaign to dismember guardrails built to protect the public from cancer.
By slashing protections from cancer-causing pollution, undermining the scientific basis for preventing cancer and reducing our ability to improve treatment methods and survivability rates, this administration has switched sides from fighting a war on cancer to promoting an agenda that leads to more cancer — all to enhance the profitability of the chemical, fossil fuel and nuclear industries.
This is a public health scandal that touches the lives of every family in the nation.
Erik D. Olson Washington The writer is the senior strategic director of health for the Natural Resources Defense Council and a former general counsel for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Giving In to Putin
To the Editor:
Re “U.S. Called It Putin’s ‘Slush Fund.’ Now Trump May Drop Sanctions on It” (news article, Oct. 29):
In addition to his diesel deal with President Vladimir Putin, President Trump is considering lifting sanctions on Russia’s government investment fund. Once again Mr. Putin may gain the removal of sanctions to his advantage, while his position really has nothing to do with securing any peace with Ukraine.
Mr. Putin is playing Mr. Trump for a fool, which he is.
Linda E. Kreplin Columbia, Md.
The post It’s Us Against the Chatbots. Here’s How to Win. appeared first on New York Times.
