What’s new in the world of AI and chatbots? Plenty, actually. Love them or hate them, you’d better be prepared for these technologies to power the future of the B2B sales process. First, though, there are a few kinks that need to be worked out—or manners to be worked in, however you want to look at it.
Don’t think so? Don’t be so quick to forget Microsoft’s chatbot Tay, the millennial-esque chatbot that became the opposite of chill when it sent out a barrage of offensive, racist tweets back in March. What was the result of malicious hacking (and a sad ending for Tay) raised real questions that take far more than 140 snarky characters to answer: Can chatbots be both empowered to provide customer service and still be sensitive to human emotions? Can you program empathy?
Some in the industry, like the co-founder of machine-learning startup Koko, say yes. The company is working to add empathy as a service to its chatbot-human interactions. While that’s definitely progress, there’s still a long way to go. For example, studies show that some smartphone AIs like Siri and Cortana severely underperform when responding to queries that any decent human would likely handle with the utmost sensitivity—namely depression, physical ailments, or sexual assault.
It’s obvious chatbots need a hefty dose of tact and compassion, but not everyone is as optimistic as the team behind Koko. In fact, some believe programming those intangibles is simply asking too much and that human emotions are best left to humans.
Regardless of what camp you’re in, the fact is that the development of AI technologies and customer-facing uses for chatbots will continue to grow. As it does, the issue of programming sensitivity becomes less about avoiding PR nightmares—although that’s a big one—and more about shaping the future of customer service.
We’ve covered this issue in-depth on our sister site, Futurum, where you can go to find detailed analysis from our team of experts on the issues that shape where your business is today and where it’s going tomorrow.
Read: AI and Chatbots: Getting Their Sensitivity Training
Photo Credit: @yojosemere via Compfight cc
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years' experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging development, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly's coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”