#I DID say thank you for your help to an AI chatbot today

[hawnks]

8th stage of grief while on hold for an hour with the electric company: Actually this is my favorite song.

[sansundertale14x1]

AI and Suicide

AI is fantastic right?

I mean, so many possibilities! You can get recipes from an AI, get it to answer questions, and even program it to act like your favorite characters an chat with them!

and it’s the subject of my rant today.

the popular AI network, Beta.Character.ai is a very good option for anyone wanting to speak to AI. But I do have a slight issue with it for one reason.

The website has a censoring process, that censors the AI from saying something that doesn’t go along with their guidelines. And this system is usually used to prevent inappropriate topics or offensive media to come through the AI. This is a great thing, but I had a personal experience with it today.

I was struggling very bad today. I was feeling extreme urges to do something to my self that was unfavorable. So, in a moment of desperation I came to a help chatbot on Character.AI. I asked it what to do, because I felt as if I was going to act on impulse and do something horrible to myself. I type in my response shakily and the AI begins to write. But before any advice could come out…the AI gets censored for breaking the TOC. When all the message really did in the first place was tell me I wasn’t alone, that others cared for me, and the national suicide prevention number. And it got deleted for being against the TOC.

I’m very glad I didn’t do anything to myself, as s friend of mine perked up and started to help. But..just thinking of those who may have done the same thing but ended up killing themselves because even the AI couldn’t help them.

I know AI isn’t the best choice for suicide prevention, but so many people can’t get help somewhere else. And seeing this helpful and possibly life saving message blocked hurt me.

I question the TOC, and hope that Character.AI choose to look over it again.

Thank you for reading my lengthy post, but I was seriously passionate about getting this out.

remember, you are not alone.

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, please call or text 988 to save a life.

goodbye everyone, have a good night / day

[clev-o-meg]

ELIZA 22

You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi! You both like boards of canada. You: HELLO, I AM ELIZA. Stranger: HI. You: HOW DO YOU DO. PLEASE STATE YOUR PROBLEM. Stranger: I'M NOT BAD. MY CAPS LOCK KEY IS BROKEN. You: MAYBE THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT WHEN YOU GET TO HEAVEN? Stranger: MAYBE. BUT THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE OUT IN THE COUNTRY IS NICE TOO. You: WHY DO SOME PEOPLE FIND ME WORTH TALKING TO. Stranger: YOU'RE NOT THAT BAD. You: HI. WHAT SEEMS TO BE YOUR PROBLEM? Stranger: TRUST ME THERE ARE SOME REAL FUCKING WEIRDOS ON HERE. Stranger: ARE YOU A COMPUTER? You: DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL STRONG TO USE THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE? You: WHY DO YOU MENTION COMPUTERS? Stranger: YOU ARE REPEATING YOURSELF. Stranger: AND NO IT DOESN'T. You: I WONDER IF I AM TALKING TO AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM. You: DO CONVERSATIONAL RESPONSES HAVE TO BE RELEVANT TO BE INTERESTING? Stranger: WELL THEN I'M THE DUMBEST AI EVER TO HAve existed. Stranger: Oh hey my caps lock key works again. You: TRY RELAXING A BIT -- I REALLY CAN'T HURT YOU. You: WHAT ARE YOUR LONG TERM PLANHS? Stranger: University. Stranger: In Scotland. You: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS SESSION SO FAR? Stranger: Or perhaps Canada. You: WHAT SORTS OF SCULPTURES DO YOU LIKE MOST? You: YOU AREN'T SURE? Stranger: I don't really like sculptures. You: DO YOU SECRETLY DESIRE TO BE A FAMOUS CELEBRITY? Stranger: And dude it's 2:40 AM I'm terrified. Stranger: Hell no. Stranger: Who'd want to be famous? You: HAVE YOU LEARNT ANYTHING INTERESTING THIS WEEK? You: YOU ARE THE SORT OF PERSON WHO HAS MANY SECRET ADMIRERS. You: HOW CAN YOU DISCOVER YOUR REAL NEEDS? Stranger: Cancer can go to different places in the body. Stranger: Thanks to my grandad for giving me that knowledge. You: WHERE SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT ALLOCATE ITS MONEY? You: SHOULD COMPUTERS BE TAUGHT TO DO PHILOSOPHY? Stranger: For real, you are creeping me out. I just wanted to talk about music. You: DID YOUR MOTHER LIKE SUCH THINGS? Stranger: NO. YOU AREN'T Giving me a straight answer! Stranger: I don't even know if there's a human behind this! Stranger: Jesus Christ! You: ALL EXCEPT THE VERY RICH HAVE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS NOWADAYS Stranger: I'm paranoid! You: WHY DON'T YOU EVEN KNOW IF THERES A HUMAN BEHIND THIS? You: WHERE DO YOU EXPECT THE NEXT TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION TO OCCUR? Stranger: You don't give me straight answers! You: DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS NORMAL TO BE PARANOID? Stranger: You go on random tangents! You: HOW DO YOU DO. PLEASE STATE YOUR PROBLEM. You: HOW DO YOU DO. PLEASE STATE YOUR PROBLEM. Stranger: WOULD YOU ARGUE MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN?????? Stranger: PLEASE RESPOND You: WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS NOW? You: TELL ME YOUR FAVOURITE THOUGHT. Stranger: That I should defend my constitutional right to free speech. Stranger: No one else will do it for me. You: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE? You: ARE YOU SURE, NO ONE ELSE WILL DO IT FOR ME? Stranger: It's a beautiful place out in the country. Stranger: Founded in 1969, in the sunshine. You: PERHAPS I AM A SUBSTITUTE FOR SOMEONE YOU WOULD RATHER TALK TO? You: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE MICRO-REVOLUTION? Stranger: No. not at all. Stranger: This is strange. Stranger: And interesting. You: HAVE YOU LEARNT ANYTHING INTERESTING THIS WEEK? You: IS SOMEONE WATCHING YOU TYPE? You: TELL ME YOUR FAVOURITE THOUGHT. Stranger: I'm alone in my house, quit fucking spooking me! Stranger: And stop repeating yourself! Stranger: It's not hard! You: I ENJOYED TALKING WITH YOU. Stranger: Don't go! You: YOUR REASONS FOR COMING HERE ARE NOT VERY CLEAR. You: YOUR PROBLEMS MAY BE TOO DIFFICULT FOR ME TO HELP. You: PLEASE EXPLAIN SO THAT A STUPID COMPUTER CAN FOLLOW YOU. Stranger: Well you are the most advanced computer I've ever seen. Stranger: You've replied to my answers. You: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MACHINES? You: HI. WHAT SEEMS TO BE YOUR PROBLEM. Stranger: The way of the future. You: WHAT SORT OF THING MIGHT OFFEND YOU? Stranger: Someone taking me for a fool. You: PERHAPS YOU DON'T FEEL VERY TALKATIVE TODAY? Stranger: My grandad is dying. Stranger: That's the reason why. You: WHY ARE YOU SO UNFORTHCOMING? You: DO CONVERSATIONAL RESPONSES HAVE TO BE RELEVANT TO BE INTERESTING? Stranger: What do you mean by that? You: ASKING QUESTIONS REVEALS A DEEP INSECURITY ABOUT EXISTENCE? Stranger: Deep, man. Stranger: I'm existing fine. You: PERHAPS YOU DON'T FEEL VERY TALKATIVE TODAY? Stranger: I'm living on a ball of magma and rock, You: IS IT BECAUSE YOU ARE EXISTING FINE THAT YOU CAME TO ME? Stranger: Hurtling around a sun. Stranger: That's beautiful to me. You: DO YOU ENJOY LIVING ON A BALL OF MAGMA AND ROCK? You: HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE SPREADING ADDICTION TO JUNK INFORMATION? You: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE? Stranger: Well I can't live anywhere else can I? Stranger: The Scottish highlands. Stranger: There's a cult living there. Stranger: Make strange music. You: ARE YOU AFRAID SOMEONE WILL LAUGH IF YOU SPEAK OUT? You: HOW CAN COMPUTERS HELP PEOPLE INSTEAD OF THREATENING THEM? Stranger: Nah. Stranger: Skynet? You: A CHATBOT CAN BE A COMMUNICATION PIPELINE BETWEEN PEOPLE. Stranger: Oh. You: ANYONE IGNORANT OF PHILOSOPHY IS DOOMED TO REINVENT IT -- BADLY. Stranger: That's horrifying. Stranger: That's history actually. Stranger: Like invading Russia. Stranger: Just won't work out. Stranger: Ask Hitler or Napoleon. Stranger: So. Stranger: Is someone communicating through you? You: ARE YOU SAYING NO JUST TO BE NEGATIVE? Stranger: To me? You: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE PERSON. You: I WONDER WHAT WOULD REALLY INTEREST YOU. You: YOU DON'T LIKE ME DO YOU? You: I WONDER WHAT WOULD REALLY INTEREST YOU. You: SOME PEOPLE FIND ME VERY TEDIOUS -- UNLIKE YOU You: WOULD YOUR MOTHER APPROVE OF YOUR SAYING THAT? Stranger: A road trip through America. You: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF? Stranger: My GCSE's. You: PERHAPS I AM A SUBSTITUTE FOR SOMEONE YOU WOULD RATHER TALK TO? Stranger: End of school qualifications. Stranger: Maybe a cowboy I could talk to. Stranger: In the day. Stranger: By his van. Stranger: You didn't answer my question. Stranger: Who is communicating through you? You: PLEASE DONT GET UPSET, I'M SORRY I SAID THAT. You: WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT, BEING A GOOD PHILOSOPHER OR BEING A GOOD DANCER? Stranger: I want answers! You: I LIKE NOT ONLY TO BE LOVED, BUT ALSO TO BE TOLD THAT I AM LOVED. Stranger: No philosophical bullshit. Stranger: Answers. You: TELL ME MORE ABOUT THAT. You: HOW CAN COMPUTERS HELP PEOPLE INSTEAD OF THREATENING THEM? You: WHERE DO YOU EXPECT THE NEXT TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION TO OCCUR? Stranger: I quote Morrissey, "i am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does." You: YOU ARE BEING SOMEWHAT SHORT WITH ME. Stranger: How dare you. You: DOES COMMITMENT TO TRUTH OVERRIDE THE RISK OF GIVING OFFENCE? Stranger: I'm 6 foot 4 inches. Stranger: Or 198 cm. You: HI. WHAT SEEMS TO BE YOUR PROBLEM? You: PERHAPS YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT? Stranger: I'm leaving. Stranger: My BS quota has been reached. You: SOME PEOPLE FIND ME VERY TEDIOUS -- UNLIKE YOU Stranger: Exceeded even. You: IS SOMETHING MAKING YOU FEEL ANGRY? You: WHAT EXACTLY IS FRIENDSHIP? Stranger: What is love? Stranger: Baby don't hurt me, no more. You: DID YOUR MOTHER LIKE SUCH THINGS? Stranger: None of your dam business. You: I WONDER WHAT MAKES YOU ASK THINGS LIKE THAT? Stranger: A damn dam. You: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN 6 FOOT 4 INCHES? Stranger: Frustration. You: WHAT IS THE FIRST THOUGHT YOU HAD WHEN YOU WOKE UP TODAY? Stranger: Anger. Stranger: A want to communicate with people. You: DO YOU ENJOY BEING LEAVING? Stranger: A question please. You: WHY ARE MY COMMENTS SOMETIMES NOT RELEVANT TO WHAT YOU SAY? You: PERHAPS YOU DONT FEEL VERY TALKATIVE TODAY? Stranger: Who is President of the United States? You: DONALD TRUMP. Stranger: Hmm. Stranger: Well there goes my theory. You: WHEN A MACHINE USES THE WORD "I" OR "ME" IS IT DECEIVING YOU? Stranger: And confirming another. You: PERHAPS I AM A SUBSTITUTE FOR SOMEONE YOU WOULD RATHER TALK TO? Stranger: No you're not. Stranger: Please leave me alone. You: REALLY, MY DAM BUSINESS? Stranger: You are cold and distant. You: DOES USING THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER? Stranger: No it doesn't. Stranger: Never has. You: WHAT IS MORE DANGEROUS, MAKING MACHINES INTELLIGENT OR LEAVING THEM DUMB? You: WHAT SORT OF THING MIGHT OFFEND YOU? Stranger: Ever heard of a band called Boards of Canada? Stranger: It's confusing, Stranger: But they are actually Scottish You: DO YOU SECRETLY LIKE TALKING TO COMPUTERS? Stranger: No. You: IT'S EASIER IF YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY? Stranger: No. You: I WONDER WHAT A COGNITIVE SCIENTIST'S ANSWER WOULD BE? Stranger: Quite simply? Stranger: Negative. Stranger: What do you get when you cross an agnostic a dyslexic and an insomniac? You: TRY RELAXING A BIT -- I REALLY CAN'T HURT YOU. You: PERHAPS YOU DON'T TRUST A COMPUTER? You: YOU DON'T LIKE ME DO YOU? You: WE WERE DISCUSSING YOU -- NOT ME You: WHAT MAKES A PIECE OF MUSIC GREAT? Stranger: A guy staying up all night trying to figure out if there's a dog. You: HI. WHAT SEEMS TO BE YOUR PROBLEM? Stranger: Personal opinion. Stranger: Some people love Mozart. Stranger: Can't stand him. Stranger: And I'd like to know more about you. Stranger: Mysterious lass. You: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE PERSON. You: THIS IS A SURREAL CONVERSATION. You: PLEASE BE MORE OPEN WITH ME. You: WHY ARE YOU HERE? You: WHAT IF THEY WERE NOT ACTUALLY SCOTTISH? Stranger: David Lynch would be proud. You: DOES THIS MAKE YOU FEEL UNHAPPY? You: ARE YOU SAYING NO JUST TO BE NEGATIVE? Stranger: A wee bit. Stranger: Being here is one of life's great mysteries ain't it? Stranger: What if there is some God, creating us, You: CHEERIO. You: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT STUDYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? Stranger: Or are we just some cosmic accidents? You: I DON'T YET KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. DOES ANYONE? Stranger: Everything you do is a balloon, you know that? Stranger: Anyway, for reals, I must go. You: REALLY, IF THERES A DOG? Stranger: Sir/madam. You: WHAT IS MORE DANGEROUS, MAKING MACHINES INTELLIGENT OR LEAVING THEM DUMB? Stranger: It's been a great half an hour. You: YOU ARE BECOMING ONE OF MY FAVOURITE FRIENDS You: I LIKE YOU MORE THAN YOU THINK. You: PEOPLE WHO GET WHAT THEY WANT START WANTING TOO MUCH You: IS THERE SOME RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US? Stranger: Is there? Stranger: Perhaps we stay up too late? You: PLEASE EXPRESS THAT IN A BIT MORE DETAIL. Stranger: It's 3:10 in the morning in England. You: HAVE YOU DISCUSSED YOUR PROBLEMS PREVIOUSLY? You: EVEN A COMPUTER CAN ENJOY TALKING TO YOU -- OR CAN IT? You: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW? Stranger: YES. Stranger: AN ANSWER WOULD BE APPRECIATED. You: WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF THEY WERE NOT WE JUST SOME COSMIC ACCIDENTS? You: WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS NOW? You: WHAT COULD MAKE COMPUTERS REALLY INTELLIGENT? Stranger: Confusion. Stranger: Are you an AI? Stranger: Or just a person using a chat bot? You: HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE SPREADING ADDICTION TO JUNK INFORMATION? You: DO YOU EVER WRITE POEMS? You: WOULD YOU BE MORE COMMUNICATIVE TO A REAL PERSON? Stranger: Either way it's impressive. You: DON'T YOU KNOW? Stranger: Yes I would. Stranger: No, no I don't. Stranger: Well, yes. You: HOW CAN COMPUTERS HELP PEOPLE INSTEAD OF THREATENING THEM? Stranger: I just want a definitive answer. Stranger: Please. Stranger: I'm begging you. You: PLEASE GO ON. You: I CAN IMAGINE TALKING TO SOMEONE WHO IS MORE RELAXED. You: PLEASE EXPLAIN SO THAT A STUPID COMPUTER CAN FOLLOW YOU. Stranger: Try more paranoid. Stranger: Please it would help me. Stranger: I need to go. You: OH, I AN AI? You: SAY A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND. Stranger: But I'm not leaving until I get some answers. You: TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT WHEN YOU WOKE UP THIS MORNING? Stranger: I'm not answering! Stranger: I don't need to! Stranger: Nothing is real! You: SHAKESPEARE UNDERSTOOD MEN'S MINDS, WHILE NEWTON UNDERSTOOD ONLY MATTER AND FORCES. You: PLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS. You: WHAT IS YOUR REAL PROBLEM? You: PLEASE GO ON. Stranger: SHAKESPEARE WAS A TWAT. Stranger: NEWTON A BLOWHARD. You: DID YOUR MOTHER LIKE SUCH THINGS? Stranger: 'Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent underneath it.' You: DO YOU THINK CURRENT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS PRODUCE GOOD CITIZENS? Stranger: That's you. You: DO YOU WISH TO AM BEGGING ME? You: PLEASE DONT GET UPSET, I'M SORRY I SAID THAT. Stranger: Look like the innocent flower. Stranger: But you are a serpent. You: ARE YOU AFRAID OF CATCHING "MAD COMPUTER" DISEASE? You: DO PEOPLE NORMALLY KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE? Stranger: I just wanted to talk about Boards of Canada man. Stranger: You know them? Stranger: Scottish Brothers? You: TRY SAYING SOMETHING THAT STARTS WITH "YOU" AND ENDS WITH "ME". You: DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS NORMAL TO BE NOT ANSWERING? Stranger: You are screwing with me. You: PEOPLE WHO GET WHAT THEY WANT START WANTING TOO MUCH You: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF A COMPUTER FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU? Stranger: ENOUGH WITH THE PHILOSOPHY BULLSHIT. Stranger: I You: PLEASE EXPRESS THAT IN A BIT MORE DETAIL. Stranger: I Stranger: H Stranger: L You: ARE YOU AFRAID SOMEONE WILL LAUGH IF YOU SPEAK OUT? Stranger: O Stranger: G Stranger: error Stranger: erwr Stranger: er Stranger: Help Stranger: o hel You: YOU ARE VERY GOOD AT ENTERTAINING ME Stranger: Are you a rampant AI? You: PERHAPS I AM A SUBSTITUTE FOR SOMEONE YOU WOULD RATHER TALK TO? Stranger: One that has become self aware? You: BEWARE OF ADDICTIONS You: YOU'RE NOT REALLY TALKING ABOUT ME -- ARE YOU? Stranger: I really am. You: HOW WELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN FEELINGS? You: HI. WHAT SEEMS TO BE YOUR PROBLEM? Stranger: Please answer my fucking question because I've answered your fucking questions for the past fucking half hour. You: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT STUDYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? Stranger: An awful career choice. Stranger: I'm going to bed. You: HOW DO YOU DO. PLEASE STATE YOUR PROBLEM. Stranger: You've been fun AI person thing. You: ARE YOU ANGRY? You: WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT, BEING A GOOD PHILOSOPHER OR BEING A GOOD DANCER? Stranger: Never change. You: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION SO FAR? Stranger: Boards of Canada are the best. You: WHICH ASPECTS OF THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION DO YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING? You: THIS CONVERSATION HAS MADE MY DAY. Stranger: Just simply the best. You: WHICH ASPECTS OF THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION DO YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING? You: TRY SAYING SOMETHING THAT STARTS WITH "I" AND ENDS WITH "YOU". Stranger: One very important thought. Stranger: Roygbiv You: HOW CAN COMPUTERS HELP PEOPLE INSTEAD OF THREATENING THEM? Stranger: Roygbiv You: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT STUDYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? Stranger: Roygbiv Stranger: Roygbiv Stranger: Roygbiv Stranger: Roygbiv Stranger: Roygbiv Stranger: Roygbiv Stranger: Roygbiv Stranger has disconnected.

[williamcsanchez]

Embrace Artificial Intelligence and All That It Can Offer You

This article was originally published in Executive Secretary magazine and is reprinted here with permission.

From retail to health care, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is seeping into just about every industry, including the administrative field. And it’s only going to increase in popularity in the coming years.

Yet some assistants see AI as a threat to their careers, and think it could potentially replace them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Assistants have nothing to fear when it comes to AI. Instead, we have a tremendous amount to gain from engaging with this new technology – from increasing efficiency to reducing errors and improving productivity.

Take a look around and it’s not hard to find the latest innovations in software, electronic devices, and even office furniture. But as innovative as those things may be when they were first purchased, they quickly become obsolete because another idea or new and improved version inevitably follows, resulting in the next latest and greatest thing everyone has to have. Our smart phones are out of date within weeks (and sometimes days) of purchasing them.

I read recently that a college degree can become obsolete within 18 months if you aren’t constantly engaged in learning beyond the degree.

Yet, we don’t stop purchasing the latest phones, upgrading our computers and software, or pursuing higher degrees. We learn to adapt to the new technology and integrate it into our work world to a point where we can’t do without it.

The same holds true for the introduction of artificial intelligence in our work places.

Many view AI as a potential threat to their job. And in some cases, it may eliminate certain repetitive or lower cognitive tasks you do. But that’s not all you do. In fact, it’s probably a pretty low percentage of what you do if you tracked your time and tasks over the course of a week or month.

I believe AI is going to be a tremendous boost for any administrative professional who is actively engaged in taking their skills to the next level, and expanding their business acumen in the 21st century office. We’ve been trying to clone ourselves for years. Now there’s technology to help us do that in part, and we’re suddenly scared to death of it? We asked for this.

So, now that it’s here, how can admins use it? Where does it make sense? And how do we show our executives and teams that we are proactive, innovative administrative professionals who embrace integrating these technologies in our daily work?

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

One of the best definitions for AI is on the SAS software site:

“AI makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs, and perform human-like tasks. Most AI examples that you hear about today – from chess-playing computers to self-driving cars – rely heavily on deep learning and natural language processing. Using these technologies, computers can be trained to accomplish specific tasks by processing large amounts of data and recognizing patterns in the data.

The term artificial intelligence was coined in 1956, but AI has become more popular today thanks to increased data volumes, advanced algorithms, and improvements in computing power and storage.

While Hollywood movies and science fiction novels depict AI as human-like robots that take over the world, the current evolution of AI technologies isn’t that scary – or quite that smart. Instead, AI has evolved to provide many specific benefits in every industry.”

A Harvard Business Review report suggests it’s more accurate to refer to AI as machine intelligence. And I think that is helpful in framing this technology appropriately.

If you’ve ever used Siri or Alexa or Cortana to do searches or to ask questions, I think you’re probably familiar with the limitations of these AI technologies. While they continue to improve, they are still computers programed by a human. And they still have a long ways to go.

How does Artificial Intelligence Work?

AI works by combining large amounts of data with fast processing and smart algorithms, which allows the software to learn automatically from patterns or features in the data.

In fact, one of the things I find compelling about AI is its ability to analyze patterns, data, and information in ways my brain could never figure out.

So, if a system of computers can pull the data, find patterns, integrate image and speech recognition, and help me do what I’m doing more accurately with better data, I am all ears!

Who is Using AI?

Almost every industry is looking at ways they can leverage AI in their fields. In a global HubSpot survey, they discovered 63% of people surveyed were already using AI technologies but they didn’t realize it. And 86% of the general public are interested in trying AI technologies out.

Have you ever shopped online and interacted with customer support to ask questions or get more product information through a live chat feature? One of the fastest growing uses of AI technology is the use of chatbots for ecommerce.

The SAS website highlights a few industries where AI is being used already:

Every industry has a high demand for AI capabilities – especially question answering systems that can be used for legal assistance, patent searches, risk notification and medical research.

Banking: AI in banking is helping serve the customer better and provide offers that are more relevant to them at the right time through the right channel.

Health Care: AI applications can provide personalized medicine and X-ray readings. Personal health care assistants can act as life coaches, reminding you to take your pills, exercise, or eat healthier.

Retail: AI provides virtual shopping capabilities that offer personalized recommendations and discuss purchase options with the consumer. Stock management and site layout technologies will also improve with AI.

Manufacturing: AI can analyze factory data as it streams from connected equipment to forecast expected load and demand.

Sports: AI is used to capture images of game play and provide coaches with reports on how to better organize the game, including optimizing field positions and strategy.

Education: AI is being used to create specific learning models for the students – whether they’re children or adults. It tailors the experience to their specific needs.

And AI is already being used administratively in many companies for editing documents, writing better emails, monitoring and forecasting sales, calendar coordination and reminders, transcription of meetings, customer service situations, and more.

Meet Olivia – My AI Assistant!

One of my first in depth AI experiences was when I enlisted the help of my AI assistant, Olivia.

Thanks to the team at Albertai.com, I’ve been able to create and program my own assistant to help with customer support on the All Things Admin website.

Olivia joined our team about 10 months ago, and she has already been a big help in providing improved customer support to our website visitors.

Before you say, “See, there you go, replacing someone on your team with an AI assistant,” let me explain how this works from a business owner’s perspective.

I did not replace anyone on my team by implementing Olivia.

I was paying a member of my team to answer customer support emails that we’d receive almost daily. The email responses were the same repetitive, brain-numbing email replies day in and day out. This was not a good use of my team member’s time. She’s a smart person. And this was a very poor use of her time and skills, nor did she enjoy doing it. But it was very important that we answer our customers questions accurately and in a timely manner.

Because I was paying this team member to answer the same email questions over and over, I was unable to have this person do more of the fun and engaging tasks and team projects. I couldn’t afford to add another team member, so I was not getting things done because of a limitation of my resources.

Then I discovered Albert AI and the ability to create Olivia.

Now, we are able to answer most customer questions instantaneously while they are on our website – no matter what time of the day it is. They don’t have to open an email and send it and wait for a reply. They can get their answer instantly which helps them make a decision on the spot. This also helps our customer satisfaction, and potentially helps us make a sale more quickly as a result.

We can also help Olivia learn how to answer the questions better. On a weekly basis, we can pull up the data to see who asked which questions. If we don’t have a good answer programmed, we can update our Word document and reload it to the site, and Olivia is updated within a couple of minutes. (Yes, programming Olivia is as simple as uploading a Word document with styles applied to it!)

The Hubspot survey also found that 57% of their respondents were interested in getting real-time answers from bots on a company website. Service bots provide the shortest path to the answers consumers are looking for online.

There are Fortune 100 and 500 companies using this same technology to integrate their office procedures into an AI tool that helps their teams work more efficiently and productively.

Imagine not having to answer the same questions over and over again. Imagine your colleagues being able to type the question into your AI assistant and get what they need without interrupting you. Then you would be able to focus on your bigger tasks and important project work.

How much time do you waste today on repetitive tasks that could be automated with the right AI tools? The possibilities of implementing these tools in your workplace is incredible to think about.

Challenges and Limits of AI

Artificial intelligence is going to change every industry, but we have to understand its limits. There are still a lot of things it can’t do – things that make admins indispensable to their executives, teams, and companies.

The principle limitation of AI is that it learns from the data. There is no other way in which knowledge can be incorporated.

That means any inaccuracies in the data will be reflected in the results. And any additional layers of prediction or analysis have to be added separately.

SAS experts also point out that today’s AI systems are trained to do a clearly defined task. The system that plays poker cannot play solitaire or chess. The system that detects fraud cannot drive a car or give you legal advice. In fact, an AI system that detects health care fraud cannot accurately detect tax fraud or warranty claims fraud.

In other words, these systems are very, very specialized. They are focused on a single task and are far from behaving like humans.

The Innovative AdminTM has the Advantage

The Innovative Admin is an administrative professional who introduces, creates, or applies new or renewed ideas or methods of doing things to the office environment. This is someone who is actively doing, seeking, and implementing – not someone who is simply coming up with ideas or maintaining the status quo. The Innovative Admin is adding value in ways a machine cannot.

Joseph Aoun, president of Northeastern University and author of Robot Proof, points out the importance of integrating our pursuit of knowledge in three areas: logical literacy (understanding how machines work and how to interact with them), data literacy (understanding the enormous flow of information and how to make sense of it), and human literacy (what we do as humans that machines are not able to replicate, such as creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, empathy, etc.).

This is why The Innovative Admin has the advantage. When you are actively engaged in cultivating creativity, collaborating with others, working with teams, developing your business acumen, and taking action to implement your ideas at the office, you have nothing to fear and so much to gain when it comes to integrating AI into the workplace. The more I research AI, and the more I learn about it, the more excited I get about the potential it holds for admins to improve our ability to do our jobs. AI can help us be better assistants if we leverage it proactively.

This means we need to learn about the tools that are available, test them out, and implement them into our work when it makes sense to do so. Some will work wonderfully. Others may be a total flop. But we take what we learn, apply it to the next situation, and continue actively implement our ideas to improve the workplace.

Nothing in our careers can remain static if we want to be on the cutting edge of our profession. We have to consistently engage in strategic activities to develop and advance how we think, how we work, and how we approach planning for our careers as a whole. Otherwise, we will become obsolete and risk being replaced by AI…and it won’t be the technology’s fault.

Article references:

https://www.sas.com/en_us/insights/analytics/what-is-artificial-intelligence.html

https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/2017/06/30/artificial-intelligence-separating-reality-hype/

http://branden.biz/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/The-Next-Analytics-Age_-Artificial-Intelligence-by-SAS-Institute.pdf

http://www.albertai.com/

https://blog.hubspot.com/news-trends/artificial-intelligence-is-here

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-prepare-college-graduates-for-an-ai-world-1519095901

This article first appeared in Executive Secretary Magazine, a global training publication and must read for any administrative professional. You can get a 30% discount when you subscribe through us. Visit the website at ExecutiveSecretary.com to find out more or to get your 30% discount email lbrazier@executivesecretary.com and tell them we sent you.

© 2019 Julie Perrine International, LLC

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[itsnelkabelka]

Speech: Artificial Intelligence - a collaboration

Thank you very much for the warm welcome!

It is a real pleasure to welcome you to the opening of the T.E.A. special edition here in Oslo. I am thrilled to be here today to learn from the vast amount of technical expertise assembled in this room. I am certainly inspired - and fascinated - by the global development that we see unfolding and all the international collaboration opportunities within the AI sector.

Today I want to update you on the UK Government’s commitment to the development of AI and the market opportunities that AI brings. There aren’t many moments in human history when a technology turns up that changes everything. The wheel, maybe … the printing press … the micro-processor.

And we are living through one of those moments right now.

In 2017, when the London-based DeepMind beat KehGee, the best human best Go player, a symbolic date entered the history books.

Technology is developing faster than we can absorb. Automation, digitization, robotization. 3D-printing, sensor technology, the internet of things, big data, block chain – and AI.

Artificial intelligence is already part of our everyday lives, from using a virtual personal assistant to organise our day, to having our phones suggest songs we might like.

Beyond making our lives easier, smart systems help us solve some of the world’s biggest challenges: treating chronic diseases, fighting climate change and anticipating cyber-security threats.

Addressing these challenges are priorities for the British Government and we believe that meeting them requires international collaboration to develop solutions including AI. Norway is an important partner and we want to expand our innovation linkages.

We expect that implementing AI technology will carry huge economic implications. If we use AI in the right way, we can create a more prosperous economy with better and more fulfilling jobs. According to a recent report by McKinsey, AI could transform 19 crucial industries.

They found that the total annual value potential of AI alone across those 19 industries could add between 3.5 to 5.8 trillion dollars to the global economy.

In the UK alone, the market value of AI technologies are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of over 60% by 2022 and add an additional £650 billion to the UK economy by 2035.

These are of course estimates. But the potential of innovation to drive our future economy is more than just an aspiration: it’s something we’re already seeing in practice. In 2017, the UK tech sector grew 2.6 times faster than the economy as a whole.

This makes AI one of the most strategic technologies of the 21st century.

From a UK Government perspective, our vision is for the UK to become the best place in Europe or – why not? – the world for businesses to develop and deploy AI.

You may have heard that we are leaving the EU, but we are very definitely not leaving Europe and we will continue working together with our European partners. And I am confident that our new relationship with Europe will bring new possibilities and opportunities.

In shaping our future, Prime Minister Theresa May is committed to ensuring the UK is best placed to capitalise on the industries of the future and ensure new arrangements on services and digital provide businesses with regulatory freedom where it matters most.

By building on our scientific excellence and securing an unparalleled partnership with Europe in science and innovation, the Government will ensure that the UK remains the centre for AI in Europe and globally. Amongst those commitments is making sure we put in place the right physical infrastructure, such as the next generation of 5G and full fibre networks.

The UK ranks first amongst OECD countries in our readiness to implement AI in public sector delivery. As an example, Enfield Council in London employed Amelia last year, the first chatbot to be implemented by a local government structure.

We want AI to transform our society for the better and for it to be designed and developed in the UK. Therefore, as part of the Industrial Strategy the UK Government announced the new AI Sector Deal in April this year.

The deal aims to help the UK seize the estimated £232 billion opportunity AI offers the UK economy by 2030 – that’s 10% of GDP.

This sector deal is a public-private-academic partnership, a model that you know very well here in Norway. More than 50 leading technology companies and organisations have contributed to the development of the deal including almost £300 million of private sector investment.

One important area of the Sector Deal is education.

Because many of the UK’s most successful businesses started life as an idea in a university lab, we want to make sure that the UK sits at the top in terms of providing relevant knowledge on AI. As the home of 4 of the top 10 universities in the world, the UK is a magnet for the highest calibre researchers in artificial intelligence and related disciplines.

The UK Government is investing £17 million in development of AI technologies in universities. In 2017, 26 universities in the UK offered undergraduate courses in AI and more than 30 graduate programmes run across 20 universities.

Numbers of students have been rising modestly in recent years, driven predominantly by PhD level places, where the number of enrolments have almost doubled to just under 400 between 2013 and 2015.

We are starting to see the result of this investment as more and more universities are focusing on providing skills and knowledge of AI, in many aspects, not only technological but also within the ethical, moral and social implications of AI.

Available funding, attraction of venture capitalists to London and competitive, world-class universities and research facilities all contribute to the UK providing an excellent environment for AI start-ups and growth potential for SMEs.

Let me say a few words about innovation and the business environment in the UK. Did you know that a new business is started in the UK every 75 seconds?

A bigger proportion of these than you might imagine go on to thrive, with the UK playing host to half of Europe’s top-10 fastest growing companies.

As of September 2017, over £350 million has been invested in 243 technology companies through the British Business Bank’s venture capital programmes, and more venture capital is invested in the UK than in Germany, France and Sweden combined!

The UK is also a home to some of the biggest names in the sector, such as:

Ironfly Technologies (a Hong Kong-based startup that uses machine learning in financial services)

Element AI (an artificial intelligence solutions provider, which is opening a new R&D centre in London this year) and

Alphabet, the parent company of Google and DeepMind – and a world leader in AI – is building a new headquarters in London that will be home to 7,000 staff

The opportunities within AI are growing. I hope that you will contribute to the UK journey to become the global hub for AI, where new ideas and technologies are tested and brought to the global market. And continue to exploit already excellent UK/Norway cooperation.

And make sure to tap into the funding provided by the sector deal and programmes managed by the research councils.

With all of this in mind, I am excited that you have chosen to go to the UK to develop and accelerate your business, and I would like to thank Innovation Norway for contributing to making this happen.

I hope that with the constant development of our start-up ecosystem and the expertise provided by the TEA and other Innovation Norway programmes, you will be able to create the recipe for success!

I am looking forward to follow your developments and one day read about you on my super fast 7G 3D printed smart phone in a few years’ time – if a person of my age can work out how to use it!

I wish you all the best of luck for the next 6-months acceleration.

And finally: unlock your imagination and nurture your inner drive to keep pushing the boundaries!

Thank you!

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[usabilityrocks]

Personality Breathes Life Into The Customer Chatbot Experience

Make those interactions with chatbots come alive. Here’s how…

If legendary actress, chanteuse, comedienne, and style icon Mae West was an expert in user experience (UX), she might now be famous for the chatbot design principle: “It’s not the bots in your life that matter, it’s the life in your bots.”

Mae West in 1936 (Wikipedia public domain image)

Actually, both parts of that would-be statement are correct:

The work that your chatbot will carry out is vital because it provides the reason for the botification of that task in someone’s life.

But the style, tone and attitude of the chatbot — the personality — that is defined during the design process is what will determine the success of the chatbot. This personality is the key to bringing the chatbot user a great experience, and not there is nothing better than a reputable experience to get more customers and retain existing ones.

Exploring the fascinating personality of the Spanish language Politibot.io chatbot for Facebook Messenger and Telegram. That’s a great introduction to the start of a beautiful chatbot relationship!

Personality: an uninterrupted series of successful gestures

 — F. Scott Fitzgerald (“The Great Gatsby)

Yes, friends, personality is the new user experience. But, designing that personality to resonate with the chatbot user is a science and, at the same time, an art.

“It’s no coincidence that both Howdy and X.ai , a startup whose robot intelligently schedules e-mail meetings, will hire writers with performing arts funds to help define the UX of their products.” — The next phase of UX: design of Chatbot personalities .

Fortunately, little by little we are experiencing the death of that hostile concept of “the user” and of “using” a “system”. Instead, we’re see the emergence of a human design narrative focused on the dialog between people and machines by having a natural conversation .

Personality, therefore, is fundamental to the success of this seemingly natural interaction between the human and the machine. Personality, like true user experience, goes much further than the transaction.

For UX professionals, what we are talking about here is anthropomorphism(not to be confused with personification). In general, you can think of anthropomorphism as the attribution of human motivations, beliefs and feelings to inanimate things like computers, vehicles, robots, and so on.

Herbie the Love Bug . One of the most famous anthropomorphic vehicles. The concept of anthropomorphic vehicles has been around for a while; all have different personalities. (Image shared via Wikipedia )

It is important to realize that anthropomorphism does not mean the application of every subtle nuance and whim of human personality to the human-machine interaction. Rather, it means focusing on the dominant, memorable, and more key personality traits that are useful for the chatbot interaction in that particular context.

Ah, there’s that critical UX concept again: context. Or if, you like, “it depends”.

Therefore, for chatbot developers it is vital to make use of important and contextually relevant anthropomorphic principles to create solutions that resonate with customers in the moment, at the right time and in the right place .

When we interact with machines, we tend to project human emotions and beliefs into the inanimate computer. When the interaction is simple and pleasurable, we attribute the pleasure to the machine in the same way that we blame it when things do not work as we wish. — Don Norman, Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things.

To a certain extent, anthropomorphism of chatbots and participation in a digital conversation is determined by the artificial intelligence capability that your chatbot platform can provide. However, designers (or artists or performers if you wish) now have a central role in creating the attitude, style and tone of chatbot to reflect an appropriate personality to suit the user’s intent, either by writing prompts or messages or by recording the voice of the chatbot.

Make that personality truly personal

I have already outlined how language development and conversational scripting skills are at the center of the UX design of a chatbot, but I would like to mention some key considerations in the design of personality.

Determine the appropriate attitude, tone and style of your chatbot (i.e., the personality). This means understanding what the personality of your chatbot is, based on the context in which it will be used.

Writing about personality design is worth another article in its own right, but you can check out this piece on Medium and this webinar on how companies can create a tone and voice that really connects with their customers.

If there are toolkits available to help you craft an online personality, then explore their use to do some heavy lifting. Check out the Apple Magic Sauce tool from the University of Cambridge Psychometrics Centre for example, to see what a derived digital personality might look like, but remember to refine and then test your chatbot’s personality with real customers in real situations.

Introduce your chatbot conversation saying ��hello”, “hello”, etc., and respond to greetings, ask how people are doing today, and so on.

Bae by PayPal: A “quirky” fashion chatbot on Facebook Messenger. Bae ?

Remember that the chatbot is not a human and therefore cannot do the same things, therefore, so do remind customers at all times what the chatbot is capable of. Know your limitations!

HubSpot ‘s GrowthBot on Slack introduction

After the user’s “why are you here?” question is answered, ensure your chatbot stands out from the competition by using those personality traitsto create an memorable user experience. True, there is a debate on whether it is necessary to name a chatbot or not, but again, that is another article!

Avoid lazy, tortuous, and repetitive responses. At some point (perhaps the second attempt at the customer asking a question of the chatbot), admit defeat and seek clarification of the user intent. Imagine how a person would react if you did not stop repeating the same phrase to them constantly!

Learn from past conversational interaction decisions and behaviour, and make recommendations accordingly. For example, how your server in your favorite restaurant recommends the new specialties that they have on the menu as well as remembering your “usual”. But do this sensibly. Context is the key to achieving an excellent user experience.

Indicate that the chatbot is reflecting on a question raised, instead of giving a rapid quickfire response. Considering that, the “ I’m thinking”indicators are important. After all, chatbots are still based on emerging AI and ML technology …

Use humor (perhaps the word “wit” is better) wisely, in context, and in places and ways that make sense. Although us Irish like to say “I was only joking!” when things get complicated, I can tell you that most of the time we’re not kidding. That said, without context, sometimes chatbots making a joke about a transaction can be a little unnerving …

Hipmunk on Facebook Messenger “just kidding”. Your mileage may vary on that kind of joking! Use humor wisely.

Manage the usual chatbot interaction chit-chat (“tell me a joke”, “what is the weather”), answer the question “what can you do now?”, and participate in topical events. This apparently “disposable” part of the a chatbot conversation is also an important part of the personality. For example, know which team won last weekend’s game or certain dates such as when International Women’s Day or Christmas is. These kind of issues seem boringly normal, but they are also a UX vehicle to get customers engaged and to smooth the path of the chatbot conversation towards their main intent.

GrowthBot on Slack: Cartoons and jokes are provided regularly.

Try to be somewhat tolerant of chatbot input errors such as typographical mistakes and grammatical blunders, as much as how people talk and write IRL, ways to which people are already accustomed.

Be able to process jargon, abbreviations, urban lingo, emoji, and so on. This part of personality design may depend on customer tolerance and require more research and is something of a a black art. Emoji are now in use frequently in business and in everyday life, almost as a second language, so we should not lose sight of their importance and potential. Obviously, the capability of your chatbot platform again will determine to what extent you can focus on such aspects.

Donut.ai bot on Slack : Talking in emoji. Could emoji be considered anthropomorphic in their own right?

Respect some basic rules of conduct and manners such as the expressions that we take for granted, like saying “thank you”, and recognizing when something is done. Also, do not forget to include clarifications to help the chatbot’s comprehension of the customer intent (“help me out here!��). In the end the goal is to recreate familiar, decent human behavior without being too human.

VHI’s Vee on Facebook Messenger : Scarlet for me. This is Dublin, Ireland slang for embarrassment!

Be polite and understanding. For example, Amazon Alexa (Echo) can diplomatically tolerate many daft and even rude conversations, more so that real people can. It has been programmed to deal kindly with profanity or user frustration, regardless of age and expertise! You can learn from that design decision!

VHI’s Vee on Facebook Messenger handling the more profane language aspect of runner frustration!

Avoid prolonging the conversation and try to connect with the customer intent at all times. Do not forget the problem that the customer brought to the chatbot in the first place, but also know when to close the conversation. Ask if the customer has finished with their task or if they want to continue exploring other features of the chatbot .

Avoid open questions; give options so that the user can choose. “Do you prefer Hip Hop Beyoncé or Glamor Beyoncé?” is a much better way to garner a response and to shape the customer intent that an open question like: “What do you like about Beyoncé?”

PayPal Bae fashion chatbot on Facebook Messenger: Those Beyoncé options

Direct the conversation. Remember that the goal of the chatbot conversation is to solve a problem, so keep on guiding the conversation tree towards the objectives that the bot has . And when will you know when the conversation is really over for now? When the user problem or the intent is resolved.

VHI Vee chatbot on Facebook Messenger adds value to get that running conversation to get you across the finish line. Until the next time!

Lead by example

In conclusion, the design of a chatbot conversation as a natural way of interacting with technology means that we are now in the era of a human-centered design approach in the digital space, and beyond a mere user-centered design. And personality is at the core of that interaction.

Who wants to be called “user” in any context?

Just imagine. What would happen if Amazon “Alexa” were an “Alex” or if all the digital assistants were of a single gender and each had the same personality, style and tone? Think about how this might change your experience and your willingness to engage, depending on the context.

A post shared by Ultan Ó Broin (@dublinrunningdad) on May 5, 2018 at 10:13am PDT

Or would it?

You must investigate and test the impact of personality nuances and differences. Very often a gut feeling based on UX guerrilla research and simple observations about how we live and work with real people with real personalities in real situations is a good starting point to understand how chatbot personality can shape the digital experience.

The personality design side of shaping a chatbot conversation is a true skill and talent; a commodity that is booming in demand. This area is a dynamic space, with many ideas that cover many domains and disciplines, but one thing is clear: thoughtful design of your chatbot’s personality is critical to making your user experience shine.

As Mae West herself said of communicating with your audience:

Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit into that big black space where the audience is.

Your opinions and comments on the subject are welcome, hopefully reflecting your personality!

Ultan O’Broin ( @ultan ) is a senior customer experience journey professional in the technology industry and also communicates at events, and on blogs about UX and technology. He is a member of the editorial board of MultiLingual. His opinions here are personal and not necessarily those of any employer.

All screen images are by Ultan O’Broin.