News related stuff that doesn't really deserve it's own thread

[Spark]

TBF, I find he's right about what he says below that the two are not necessarily distinct entities.



While you are right that the prevalence of laptops, smartphones has ensured that the work/not at work line has become more blurred than ever, it also gives a tremendous amount of flexibility.

It's unquestionably been great for productivity. Less so for mental health.

Not suggesting that everyone should react the way I have ofc. But it sure isn't for me.

 

[StephenZA]

I do think that is more of an ideal attitude of the classic 'loving your job'.. or that is the only positive way to interpret it. But that is very difficult for most people, particularly in a profit driven system.

 

[Prince EWS]

So awesome. The article doesn't even quite do the video justice IMO.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/8/17332070/google-assistant-makes-phone-call-demo-duplex-io-2018

 

[harsh.ag]

Turing shuring

 

[vcs]

What if the hair salon/clinic also employs an AI assistant to answer the calls?

 

[Prince EWS]

What if the hair salon/clinic also employs an AI assistant to answer the calls?

I can't imagine there'd be any problems with that. If anything there'd probably be less potential problems with an AI-to-AI conversation, especially if they were the *same* AI.

 

[vcs]

Yeah but they could just do away with the conversation part altogether and simply look up and read/write into a database of time-slot availability or whatever. You know, the old-fashioned way in which programs usually communicate.

 

[Prince EWS]

Yeah but they could just do away with the conversation part altogether and simply look up and read/write into a database of time-slot availability or whatever. You know, the old-fashioned way in which programs usually communicate.

If the salon/clinic had some sort of online booking system I imagine the assistant would've tried that first though, and surely you'd set something like that up before going with an AI receptionist.

 

[Athlai]

Yeah but they could just do away with the conversation part altogether and simply look up and read/write into a database of time-slot availability or whatever. You know, the old-fashioned way in which programs usually communicate.

Presumably assistant would look at online options to get information or make bookings before calling someone. So if a business was set up to have an ai answer calls, they’d probably already have had that function available from an online portal.

 

[Prince EWS]

Presumably assistant would look at online options to get information or make bookings before calling someone. So if a business was set up to have an ai answer calls, they’d probably already have had that function available from an online portal.

Haha that's a scarily similar almost-simultaneous post.

 

[Athlai]

Haha that's a scarily similar almost-simultaneous post.

Am I an AI?!?

 

[Victor Ian]

Sounds awesome until people use it. Small businesses will have their phone lines jammed from AI calling to fact check as given in the maps example and cold calling to make sales.

 

[Prince EWS]

Sounds awesome until people use it. Small businesses will have their phone lines jammed from AI calling to fact check as given in the maps example and cold calling to make sales.

This already happens except the robocalls themselves are awful.

I did consider the sales aspect when I first read the article though, and yeah that could end up really annoying. Imagine spending 15 minutes on the phone with someone trying to sell you something, and the whole time you're just trying to guess whether they're real or not.

 

[Athlai]

This already happens except the robocalls themselves are awful.

I did consider the sales aspect when I first read the article though, and yeah that could end up really annoying. Imagine spending 15 minutes on the phone with someone trying to sell you something, and the whole time you're just trying to guess whether they're real or not.

Just ask them if Deckard was real in Blade Runner. If they respond with anything other than “What?” Or “Sorry?” They’re not real.

 

[vcs]

Just like we have Captcha's to identify whether an actual human is trying to log into a page, someone will invent reverse-Captcha's, where we get a pop-up with a math question and answer (like factor a big number or something), and if the voice at the other end answers it correctly immediately, we can put it down since it can only be a computer.

 

[vcs]

Just like we have Captcha's to identify whether an actual human is trying to log into a page, someone will invent reverse-Captcha's, where we get a pop-up with a math question and answer (like factor a big number or something), and if the voice at the other end answers it correctly immediately, we can put it down since it can only be a computer.

LOL, someone has already done it.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/gy8g8b/humans-not-invited-is-a-captcha-test-for-robots

 

[Athlai]

Or this

"You're in a desert, walking along in the sand, when all of a sudden..." (Holden)
"Is this the test now?" (Leon)
"Yes! You're in a desert and you're walking along in the sand and all of a sudden you look down and..." (Holden)
"What one?" (Leon)
"What?" (Holden)
"What desert?" (Leon)
"It doesn't make any difference what desert. It's completely hypothetical!" (Holden)
"Well how come I'be there?" (Leon)
"Maybe you're fed up, maybe you wanna be by yourself. Who knows? You look down and you see a tortoise, Leon. It's crawling towards you." (Holden)
"A tortoise? What's that?" (Leon)
"You know what a turtle is? Same thing." (Holden)
"I've never seen a turtle but I understand what you mean." (Leon)
"You reach down and you flip the tortoise over on its back, Leon." (Holden)
"Do you make up these questions, Mr Holden? Or do they write them down for you?" (Leon)
"The turtoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs, trying to turn itself over but it can't, not without for your help. But you're not helping." (Holden)
"What do you mean I'm not helping!" (Leon)
"I mean you're not helping. Why is that Leon? (tense silence) They're just questions, Leon. In answer to your query, they're written down for me. It's a test, designed to provoke an emotional response. Shall we continue? Describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind about your mother." (Holden)
"My mother? Let me tell you about my mother!"(Leon)

 

[vcs]

Yeah, but Leon from the above conversation could also be a 5 year old.

 

[Athlai]

Yeah, but Leon from the above conversation could also be a 5 year old.

Pfft, a 5 year old would be all over that situation. The tortoise would be pink and named Harold and he’s our friend.lrn2human

 

[Daemon]

vcs is AI???