Outsourcing Customer Service to AI: Are the Robots Coming?

peopledelight.com

5 points·fapi1974··7 comments

This is a huge deal and I think he has totally underestimated how quickly this will happen. And customer service agents are going to be among the first to get displaced by AI. Right after all the truck drivers. We aren’t doing anywhere nearly enough to prepare for this change. It’s going to make the election look like ripples in a kiddy pool compared to a hurricane.

I get that it will have a big effect, but I think that human interaction is so nuanced that that effect will play out slowly. Again, I think single digit years is possible, but not less than five.

Even if he’s right and this happens in five years, that’s still not far away. Definitely close enough for governments to start making plans, and almost close enough for established businesses to start making plans.

People ALWAYS worry about technology way more than they should. Jobs are always replaced by new technology but new problems are created along the way and we start dealing with higher order problems..

Yeah I just responded similarly to another comment. I think the worries are valid, but not exactly urgent.

> Jobs are always replaced by new technology

In the meantime government can help rehiring people by investing in public works and some industries. Also, we can extend the unemployment benefits to compensate, and raise taxes.

I definitely hope that the new administration will drive some infrastructure spending, regardless of ideology.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com