Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace

You may have heard of Google’s most recent discovery in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) called “Deepmind”. Perhaps you’ve seen the awkward looking videos of Deepmind’s “man figure” running through an obstacle course and teaching itself how to surpass certain difficulties in the course. Artificial intelligence is based on this technology. The goal for developers working in this field is to create an “artificial nervous system” capable of learning algorithms which cause it to be smarter and think faster. It’s an autonomous form of intelligence.

But is this intelligence successful in the customer service industry?
Many companies seem to think so.

The rising popularity of AI in its current form has already started to affect the human masses.  Go online to pay a cable or credit card bill and you may experience this new form of Customer Service Artificial Intelligence in the form of a “CHAT NOW” button. Click on that button and you may be immediately connected to a chatbot (robotic chat program) designed to help you solve your problem. It almost seems too good to be true.  

And it is.  This new type of intelligence is far from foolproof. In many instances, the chatbot is unable to assist with your particular problem. Not to mention, companies deal with system malfunctions daily.

Another example of this new wave in technology is Amazon’s huge-hit product “Alexa”. Alexa has been the center of several front page news stories recently. These stories range from a young girl asking Alexa for 4 pounds of cookies and a $160 dollhouse (Alexa obliged) to a 911 call made during a crime in progress.

It’s impossible to see the potential repercussions of this form of intelligence. In fact, the recent developments have caused sizable rifts between several bigwigs in the Tech industry. Mark Zuckerberg recently spoke out against Elon Musk’s warning about the risks posed by AI. Musk replied by calling Zuckerberg’s understanding of AI “limited”.  

This “smart technology” is changing everything. It’s changing the way we use our home appliances to the way our government operates. Its effectiveness in the workplace, however, is yet to be determined.