FILE - Paul Carpenter describes AI software during an interview in New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Carpenter says he was hired in January to use AI software to imitate President Joe Biden's voice to convince New Hampshire Democrat voters not to vote in the state's presidential primary.
It seems that recently I encounter it more and more. Every time I call a company for service, AI answers. And if it isn’t AI making me scream, then what the hell is on the other end of the phone? It certainly isn’t human. It’s not very far into these phone calls that I find myself screaming until I might burst a blood vessel.
When this first started happening, I used to think I was speaking to a real person. It took a while for me to realize I was talking to a disembodied voice. I came to that realization when I asked questions that the AI bot couldn’t answer. Questions like, “How do I get to a human being on this line?” But you can only ask the questions the AI has been programmed to answer. Ask something not on their list and it throws them.
Summer is happening, no matter how cold it still is outside. And as such, it should be a time when we don’t have to think about, or worry about, any future beyond a weekend outdoors. That’s the theory, at least. But we know that it being a presidential election year, the commercials, the speeches, the noise will continue throughout the summer.