Talking to AI: Do You Want Full Disclosure or Just Answers?
You’ve heard them before when you’ve dialed a customer service number. “Please give a brief statement of the reason for your call.” Or something like “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand you. Would you like Sales, Parts, or to make an appointment?” Maybe you’ve gotten a call from a number where the voice was just a bit too polished, the grammar unnaturally perfect. You suspected it was a bot, but you couldn’t be sure. Bots are widely used today, and chances are, we’ve spoken to one without realizing it. Here’s a question to ponder as you read through this topic: Would you rather know if you were talking to AI, or not?
The Case for Transparency in Talking to AI
In some ways, it feels deceptive for a company to use bots and not tell us. Most of us appreciate knowing who (or what) we’re engaging with. We manage our expectations differently with bots—we know they aren’t ‘thinking,’ just following a program. We may be more forgiving of some limitations if we know that there’s only so much the bot can do. Talking to AI comes with a higher tolerance for impersonal service.
The Case for Not Knowing You’re Talking to AI
On the other hand, if the bot is useful and your experience is satisfactory, does it really matter whether or not you know? In fact, some users may feel more comfortable engaging with a bot and not knowing about it. Knowing it’s a bot might cause people to self-censor, revealing less useful information than they would otherwise. Knowing we’re talking to AI may make us feel generally uncomfortable.
The Perspective of “It Really Doesn’t Matter” if I’m Talking to AI
If the response is accurate and useful, and the bots are getting better all the time, it may not matter to you if it’s a bot or not, and it may not matter if you know. AI is a tool, not a human companion, and as long as we treat it as a mechanical resource, whether we know it’s not human may not make a difference. However, as AI continues to improve, the distinction may become irrelevant. Talking to AI may not really make a difference in how we accomplish the objective.
Your Turn
Would you feel deceived if you found out after the fact that you had been talking to a bot? I don’t tell any more about my life than I need to anyway, so I don’t have a problem talking to a bot. Some are noticeably better designed than others. Let me know your position, and why you hold it. And while you’re at it, tell me a story about an interaction with a bot that left you either laughing or shaking your head.
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