Bot-tom Line
Task 36, September 19 to September 26
“The real problem is not whether machines think , but whether men do.” B. F. Skinner
From P.C. :
I don’t understand A.I., but I refuse to be the grumpy, anti-tech, “back-in-my-day…” skeptic, and it’s hard to ignore the stunning and pervasive effect it will have on our lives. Its ability to learn and adapt, process vast amounts of data, automate repetitive tasks and solve complex problems is staggering, and I would just be lying if I didn’t admit that I LOVE a lot of the A.I. produced media on my Instagram feed (I mean–the comic dogs!)
But even yin has a yang, and the dark side of A.I. is its utter impersonality. There is no soul, no semblance of the human spirit–it does not evince humility, kindness or empathy. Now, if you say that you have had really awesome conversations with an inanimate “person” on chatgbt–that just proves my point.
And bots powered by A.I. are replacing the people (i.e. customer relations personnel) that we counted on to have a human-to-human relationship.
I mean, try calling your cable company and getting a human to speak with you–or a customer service rep at an airline, mortgage company, utility service, bank, even your doctor’s office.
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I can deal with most of it–you just have to be good at gritting your teeth, but recently I have been stone-walled, A.I. speaking, in my job search.
Let me take a step back. When I was 18 I wanted to work in television. But that was the 70s, and I was living in Seattle. But, I was an ambitious young man who had a subscription to the Hollywood Reporter. And one day I read an article about a gentleman who worked at the local NBC affiliate who was about to retire. Evidently, he’d once worked at ABC in Hollywood. I picked up the phone and called him. He invited me to his office that very day, and I went to see him. We spoke for about 45 minutes, and he was impressed enough to call his one remaining friend still working at ABC and set up an interview for me. I flew down to Los Angeles, met this guy, and I came with a job as a Page in Guest Relations.
That’s how things worked then and for the next 30 years or so, but, well…that was then and this is now…
If you are looking for a job today, regardless of your age or experience, the process has morphed considerably–you will no longer sit across a desk from a human and sell yourself, nope–you will interact with a bot and it will be necessary for you to pass an impersonal assessment test.
This is not a test you can study for, nor is it a test with right or wrong answers, this is a 60-100 questionnaire, 20 minutes in length of varying styles to judge who you really are.
It’s impersonal, it’s b.s., and it’s the ultimate gatekeeper. Check out these questions (with a 5 button scale from Agree to Disagree):
–You often make new friends.
–You feel upset when someone else is sad.
–You’re confident about the future.
–You have wide-ranging interests and love to learn all about them.
WHAT? Given these questions, how do you tell people how passionate you are? How much you’ve wanted a particular job? How much experience you have–particular, relevant experience? YOU CAN’T.
I inquired about a job with Amtrak recently. A customer service job. Now, mind you I just spent nearly 10 years in customer service with Southwest. I was a gate controller and flight attendant, I LIVED customer service.
I got a form e-mail that informed me that I wasn’t ready for the job.
I’m going to stop here because you get the point. A.I. is where we’re going, but for me the money you save in head count, time you save dealing with applicants, and the general cold attitude of a bot-controlled workplace is not just impersonal, it’s dehumanizing.
TASK: Frustrated with A.I.? Let a company know.