Four years ago, while preparing for a presentation, I searched google for a generic image of a “person” to add to my slides. Of the first 25 results, one (4%) had long hair. Three (12%) images were of people with dark skin (1 woman and 2 men; all with short or no hair). And, overall, there … Continue reading The automation of sexism and racism
Tag: Robots
The value of service robots in embarrassing service encounters
While we tend to think of an attentive member of staff as the epitome of customer service, there are circumstances when customers would much rather not have to interact with one. Maybe they are in a hurry. Maybe they want to avoid small talk. Maybe they prefer to socially distance. Or, maybe, they are a … Continue reading The value of service robots in embarrassing service encounters
The potential and limitations of AI in home care – the users’ view
This week, the English parliament approved a new “health and social care” tax, corresponding to an increase in National Insurance contributions from 12% to 13.25% of salary (i.e., a whopping 10.4% increase!!). This increase is to pay for the home care needs of older people, disabled citizens, and others with high care needs. That is, for carers … Continue reading The potential and limitations of AI in home care – the users’ view
Drivers of acceptance of AI vary with type of service setting
Not all consumption settings are the same. They can range from situations where we can easily evaluate what we are consuming (for instance, buying a new car), to situations where we can only evaluate what we are consuming afterwards (for instance, renting a car), as well as situations where we will struggle to evaluate what … Continue reading Drivers of acceptance of AI vary with type of service setting
Friends and cookies – How we let our guard down, when interacting with technology
Individual biases shape what technology looks like, and how it works. For instance, the algorithm developers’ biases determine which “tune” we get when we ask Google for the “national anthem” (answer: The US one), or the type of conversations that Barbie might have with a child. That is why it is so important that development … Continue reading Friends and cookies – How we let our guard down, when interacting with technology
Role of robot appearance vs behaviour on users’ perception
Robots are increasingly playing a role in customer service – be it taking orders in restaurants, providing information in banks, or delivering items in hotels. For the investment in customer service robots to be worthwhile, though, customers need to enjoy interacting with them, and they need to trust them. A robot’s appearance has a key … Continue reading Role of robot appearance vs behaviour on users’ perception
The customer perspective on AI
There is considerable interest regarding the potential of AI for various customer facing tasks – from market prospecting, to sales and after-sales. But what will customers think of these technologies? Will they be happy that their delivery query is being handled by a chatbot, or that their meal is being delivered by a robot? Jochen … Continue reading The customer perspective on AI
Are Robots taking too big a byte out of our workforce?
The teen has been working on a school project about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on jobs. As part of that, she reached out to several experts, and has interviewed three of them. Here is the link to the podcast that she produced, as a result. Highlights include: 0:15 Statistics on jobs vulnerable to … Continue reading Are Robots taking too big a byte out of our workforce?
Ana Canhoto 