This
is how it starts, people. First we get our chatbots to sound and act
realistic — and then we get them to convince everyone they're actually
human. Listen to this crazy conversation between Time's Michael Scherer and a telemarketing robot who refuses to admit her true artificial nature.
Recently, Time
Washington Bureau Chief Michael Scherer received a phone call from an
apparently bright and engaging woman asking him if he wanted a deal on
his health insurance. But he soon got the feeling something wasn't quite
right.
After
asking the telemarketer point blank if she was a real person or a
computer-operated robot, she chuckled charmingly and insisted she was
real. Looking to press the issue, Scherer asked her a series of
questions, which she promptly failed. Such as, "What vegetable is found
in tomato soup?" To which she responded by saying she didn't understand
the question. When asked what day of the week it was yesterday, she
complained of a bad connection (ah, the oldest trick in the book).
Here, listen for yourself:
