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Generative AI hype is ending – and now the technology might actually become useful
(theconversation.com)
this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2024
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To be fair, it is useful in some regards.
I'm not a huge fan of Amazon, but last time I had an issue with a parcel it was sorted out insanely fast by the AI assistant on the website.
Within literally 2 minutes I'd had a refund confirmed. No waiting for people to eventually pick up the phone after 40 minutes. No misunderstanding or annoying questions. The moment I pressed send on my message it instantly started formulating a reply.
The truncated version went:
"Hey I meant to get [x] delivery, but it hasn't arrived. Can I get a refund?"
"Sure, your money will go back into [y] account in a few days. If the parcel turns up in the meantime, you can send it back by dropping it off at [z]"
Done. Absolutely painless.
So how "intelligent" do you think the amazon returns bot is? As smart as a choose-your-own-adventure book, or a gerbil, or a human or beyond? Has it given you any useful life advice or anything?
Doesn't need to be "intelligent", it needs to be fit for purpose, and it clearly is.
The closest comparison you made was to the cyoa book, but that's only for the part where it gives me options. It has to have the "intelligence" to decipher what I'm asking it and then give me the options.
The fact it can do that faster and more efficiently than a human is exactly what I'd expect from it. Things don't have to be groundbreaking to be useful.