Artificial intelligence makes me very uncomfortable on a lot of levels. I’ve seen what increased technology can do to a society. If something seems to create more convenience, bureaucracies are quick to adopt it. Then it becomes mandatory in their minds, and is deemed beyond contestation by mere mortals.
I can give you two examples of this that I’ve experienced personally, and then I’ll share a really humorous response to such foolishness by a friend of mine.
First, about a month after my boyfriend died unexpectedly, a letter came for him in my mailbox. I opened it just in case it was something important that his family might need to hear about. I wish I had kept that letter, because it was the first thing that made me laugh (a little) since he had passed away. It was a form letter from a state agency, and it said, “Your benefits have been cancelled because you are deceased.”
Thanks for letting us know.
The second is still happening to me, and it’s beyond annoying. The other night I went to get some Chinese takeout, and to my shock and dismay, my credit card was declined. My whole life, my credit score has been in the 800’s. So what was happening?
I’ve had this particular credit card for 7 years, and every month I’ve paid my full balance on time. Every month, that is, except when I had covid and I kind of lost track of things for a week or two. As soon as I realized, I paid the full balance, but based on that one human error, they froze my card. When I called customer service, they reinstated it, except now they had lowered my credit limit from around 20k to $750.00, until I could “prove myself.”
It’s still at that level. And to make matters worse, my credit score went down to 756 for the first time in my life. Needless to say, I wrote a sternly worded letter to them. I mean, in decades past, this kind of blip in my payment history would have probably prompted the company to call the local authorities and ask for a wellness check. But no. Now I’m caught in a ridiculous, unyielding algorithmic hell.
The response to my letter? A form letter telling me to call customer service, which, of course, I had already done. Needless to say, I’m going to get my credit score back up to the 800’s where it should be, and then I’m going to drop their butts like a hot rock. DO NOT DEAL WITH COMENITY BANK.
This is the kind of crap that happens when humans let go of the steering wheel. It’s insane. To lighten the mood, though, I’m going to share a Facebook post that my friend Christine Jarman kindly gave me the permission to publish here. (Thanks Christine!)
So, about a year ago, I started to receive phone calls from individuals wanting to speak to Dax about urgent information they need to share with him. I found this quite concerning. What do they know about Dax that I, his protector, his champion, his caregiver…did not know? What was happening to warrant these calls? I sat down and spoke to Dax, asking if there was anything I needed to know. Was there something he needed that we were not providing? Pleading with him to just share, “what’s wrong buddy?”, but he would just sit there with a silly grin on his face, saying nothing. The calls continue to pour in, five to seven times a day-day after day after day, and still, he just smiles and says nothing. The stress these calls deliver daily is palpable. And now we receive missives from these same message deliverers, will it never cease? “No, I am sorry, you may not speak to Dax. Dax is a dog. He does not qualify for Medicare Advantage. He is only five years old. You are causing much strife in my household. The fifteen-year-old cat does not understand why you offer such gifts to the dog and not to the cat. Are you practicing some form of species preference? We place the dog on the phone with them, letting him say in his own woofs that he does not qualify for their strange program and still they call. Oh! The calls, the calls… Please take our dog off your call list…please stop harassing our dog. Maybe Dax will need to write a letter…
There you have it, Dear Reader. The end of civilization as we know it. Fasten your seat belts.
I wrote an actual book, and you can own it! How cool is that? http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
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