The Increasing Pace of AI - What Concerns Me

[aplmac]

Pretty much any day you go on the Internet - there's a headline something about how an increasing-iteration of Artificial Intelligence has transformed the landscape. There's also a not-headline story about how AI has caused several xx_ of workers to be fired or made redundant - as their jobs have been replaced by AI that can (supposedly) do their jobs more efficiently. AI is touted as the way of the future, we should all embrace it, and enjoy the ride!

My question for AFF Members is: what will happen when the hits the (such as these days in the ME) , when your only option to contact your airline or TA is via a Chatbot?

Will the AI be able to deal with your rerouting-get-me-outta-here query, or not?

And for those AFF members currently in said reroute situations, (good luck!), has current access to a human made any appreciable difference, and as a student/master of AFF helped you circumnavigate your issues?

Just curious to know if the outsourced "new technologies" currently being foist upon us all across our lives, can actually deal with situations as they develop.

 

[Berlin]

So far, most AI solutions have been absolute slop and never solves the customer service issue you are having. Pretty much the same as that annoying blurb on the usual phone hold lines that tell you “to just check the website” while your specific problem OF COURSE does not get answered there (be shad why would you otherwise bother to call them- really old people and total morons excepted, and there way too many of the latter around).

But who knows? I get the feeling the whole AI crazy was yet another big promise low actual outcomes trend. At my work, certainly no one is anywhere near from being made obsolete (despite this, the excuse of AI seems to be quite convenient for companies who wanna get rid of more staff…).

 

[Scarlett]

Well apparently lawyers will be one of the first groups mostly made redundant by AI, so it can’t be all bad!

The answer to your question is of course: maybe. It depends on how empowered the bot/AI is to actually make changes or offer solutions. If it is as limited as most phone/chat agents employed by airlines then I’m not sure there will be much change.

AI is touted as the way of the future… by the companies who have invested billions in AI and need to recoup their expenses.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Pretty much any day you go on the Internet - there's a headline something about how an increasing-iteration of Artificial Intelligence has transformed the landscape. There's also a not-headline story about how AI has caused several xx_ of workers to be fired or made redundant - as their jobs have been replaced by AI that can (supposedly) do their jobs more efficiently. AI is touted as the way of the future, we should all embrace it, and enjoy the ride!

My question for AFF Members is: what will happen when the hits the (such as these days in the ME) , when your only option to contact your airline or TA is via a Chatbot?

Will the AI be able to deal with your rerouting-get-me-outta-here query, or not?

And for those AFF members currently in said reroute situations, (good luck!), has current access to a human made any appreciable difference, and as a student/master of AFF helped you circumnavigate your issues?

Just curious to know if the outsourced "new technologies" currently being foist upon us all across our lives, can actually deal with situations as they develop.

AI is only as good as the inputs.

If the input was ‘reroute passengers on any airline, no matter what the cost’, the outcomes would probably be pretty good.

You could even program the chat bot to ask if the passenger has found seats on another airline, and to supply those to be booked.

If it worked that well, the potential would be to handle many-fold number of enquires, and probably eliminate frustrating call wait times for humans.

But airpines and governing agencies have covered themselves in so many arcane rules and regulations around ticketing that it’s unlikely we’re going to get AI of that use any time quickly

 

[Pushka]

One of our Swiss Air flights in June was changed recently and they offered AI solution that was interactive. Was able to get great results and no human involvement and tickets reissued on a partner airline within a couple of minutes.

 

[VPS]

This is what concerns me about AI

 

[kamchatsky]

When I first saw the topic, I thought more of AI piloting the plane itself. Then I thought of the following: