The new system allows AI to read parts of a person's mind and pass the rest on to humans..
For many years now, there has been a lot of talk about the issue of “power harassment,” where a superior pushes an employee to an unhealthy, extreme state. While there are still many issues to be resolved on this subject, attention is gradually being paid to the other end of this spectrum of suffering: the so-called “power harassment.” “Customer harassment” occurs when an employee is pushed into an unhealthy, extreme situation by a customer..
Customer harassment poses a tricky situation for businesses because they don't want to risk the PR landmines of scolding or suing the people who essentially support them, but also have employees suffer mental breakdowns as a result of interacting with people who seem to lack human decency, which is bad for old brand image.
This is a lose-lose situation for both parties, but fortunately technology has found an answer: AI that converts angry voices into something more pleasing to the listener.
▼ A news report introducing the system under development. It also shows an example of changing the voice.
The video above shows a demonstration of the system, developed by SoftBank and the University of Tokyo. “Is this how you treat a customer you've known for over 5 years? Come on!” Become “Is this how you treat a customer you've known for over five years? Wait a sec…” Just flip a switch.
News readers seemed to love the idea, but some online comments questioned: “When it comes to what AI can do in call centers, why stop there?”
“Just lowering the pitch seems to have a big effect.”
“A slow voice sounds good.”
“Everyone should sound like a classy lady.”
“Any warning that this call will be recorded and altered to make you look prettier?”
“Leave it all to AI.”
“We could have the call center use AI to conduct conversations, but the human responses are too vague, so we can't get the desired effect.”
“My previous mobile phone had a 'slow voice mode' for the elderly, but everyone sounded sleepy, so I had no idea who was angry. So I think this is effective.”
“Is it less offensive to call someone stupid in a kind voice?”
“Unfortunately, this isn't just about yelling. We also see a lot of people being aggressive and using nasty comments and abusive language.”
“You just set it up so that when a person determines that something is hopeless, they can transfer the caller to an AI 'manager.'”
AI seems just as adept at dealing with the emotionally charged aspects of working in a call centre as it is at creating kitschy art, yet anyone who has dealt with these chatbots will know that they are almost pathologically apologetic, which can be counterproductive and frustrating for the average person calling with a simple question or problem.
In this case, SoftBank's solution, which combines the strengths of AI and people, would be ideal. The system is still being fine-tuned to ensure operators can understand exactly how callers are feeling while being protected from abusive language. Other features will likely be added by the time it goes live next year.
Source: Nippon Television News, Golden Times
Featured Image: Pakutaso
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