Everyday AI experts who will act as conduits between AI (bots) and its human colleagues.
Let’s talk about Bots
Treating AI like it’s a person has its benefits. When IBM named its AI “Watson,” the company hoped people would see it as warm and approachable, a “humble genius” even. According to Ann Rubin, vice president of branded content and global creative at IBM, in a conversation with Adweek, it worked.
It’s no surprise then that emerging AI platforms like Salesforce’s Einstein, Amazon’s Alexa, and my company’s Albert followed suit. Some companies are now taking the humanization process even further, positioning their technology as your newest colleague or employee.
This makes enough sense from a task perspective: AI will do work like a colleague. But from a psychological one, the moment AI makes the leap from tech platform to teammate — and takes on a more traditionally human role — humans begin expecting it to be a bit more like them. Or, at least, to exhibit more humanlike traits, like accountability, transparency, and communication skills.
AI’s not good at any of these things. It’s bad at sharing the details of its day, what it’s up to, or why it does what it does. And it’s an awful listener. Some might describe their human colleagues in similar terms, but unlike humans, AI’s inability to communicate is never out of rebellion, introversion, fear of sounding stupid, an inherently brooding demeanor, or any other distinctly human traits. Read more