Foul-Mouthed AI Bot Takes Customer Service Training To A New Level

Artificial Intelligence has seamlessly integrated into nearly all back-office operations across professional industries, and in various ways, it has become a part of daily life through AI-enabled devices. From customer care chats to automated phone calls, many sectors already rely on AI-driven solutions. However, AI is now being utilised for a surprising purpose: simulating angry customers to train customer service executives to remain calm and composed while handling irate callers.

According to the Daily Star, scientists have built a foul-mouthed bad boy robot to help train customer service staff. The robot rotter can get angry, fly into a rage, and fire off volleys of expletive-laden abuse to teach workers how to handle complaints. US developers Furhat Robotics and audEERING say the machine monster is a ‘social robot’ that uses artificial intelligence to detect vocal expression. That means it can pick up on-and react to-people’s moods. It can be programmed to become extremely angry and to curse and swear.

Louis Simeonidis, director of business development at Furhat Robotics, told the news outlet, “If we’ve done our job right, you should be able to walk up and engage with the robot just like your friend. You should be able to communicate and express with it the same way you would with other people.And it should be able to communicate back to you the way other people would communicate.”

audEERING founder Florian Eyben added: “We can understand sarcasm, irony, and we can understand that you’re actually maybe not in the best mood, and the way you say things matters here.”

A technology expert who tested out the bot at the Voice & AI Conference in Washington, DC, had to calm it down.