Artificial = YES, Intelligence = NO; 4 fails and 4 fixes!
Robin Riback
??Author??Technical Writer??Writing Coach??I Help Writers Write BETTER AND STRONGER
Stuck at home, I recently shopped online for holiday gifts, but the excitement of my electronic hunter-gathering quickly withered when I faced my first challenge: The Captcha Obstacle Course. Behold, the grid of sixteen barely visible images with instructions, “Click pictures that display an intersection so that we know you are not a robot.†The squares showed crosswalks, roads, overgrown paths, and gravel walkways. I chose only those that criss-crossed, yet I failed. I requested a do-over: “Click pictures that display transportation.†Cars, elevators, horses. Yes! Yes! Yes! “Sorry Try Again†at which point I was plunged into an identity crisis and I had to ask myself, “AM I a robot?
Turns out, I passed that test on the next try. Yay, sentient-me! But my victory was fleeting because I quickly came upon my next hurdle, the Helper Bot. As I scrolled past socks and gadgets, a pop-up conversation bubble prompted, “How can I help you? Type your question here.†Was this a mere coincidence or is the “Fatal Attractionâ€character now into customer service? “My name is Alex. Type something in the chat. NOW! I’M HERE FOR YOU!! YOU NEED A COUPON FOR THAT FAKE YULE LOG!! WHY WON’T YOU LET ME HELP YOU?? I WILL NOT BE IGNORED!!!!â€
Alex-bot needed a new occupation, so I thoughtfully sent her to a no-cost jobsite, but as they say: There Is No Free Lunch. In the “About Me†section she carefully chose from their picklists: Job = CUSTOMER CARE, Location = REMOTE ONLY, Willing to relocate = NO. She realized her selections were irrelevant when her inbox quickly filled with many messages like: “Good news, Alex! We found a job that looks like a good fit for you. Click here for Border Security Officer.†And: “You’re a good candidate for life insurance sales. Be the first to apply!â€
To my benefit, Alex was too busy deleting her emails to “help†me. But, unfortunately, my peaceful web browsing ended when my phone began to ring out the last of my patience. My device-log displayed five consecutive calls in my own area code: FAKE! Then, four hits from (222) which is in Mauritania, AFRICA. BOGUS! Then, finally, I thought I recognized an incoming call so I answered to hear a crackling sound and a far-away voice: â€Hello, layyydeee, this is U.S Tax Department. You owe five thousand dollar. Give bank account and social security numbers or I come to arrest you.†MAJOR FRAUD!
Exhausted, I switched myself to sleep-mode where I dreamed of four fixes for this broken artificial “intelligence:†A simplified captcha that displays unambiguous images: Shoes. Sofas. A Helper-Bot who whispers politely, “May I help you?†Auto-generated email that are generated from our actual picklist choices. The enforcement of existing laws that were created to prevent fake calls from arriving in the first place.
But, until these dreams become reality, I know the cycle will continue: Power à Restart. I visit one of my favorite websites to buy more gifts. Behold the grid…
EX-CEO/Founder NimbusID.com
3 å¹´Robin Riback one of the best articles about How Captcha became one of the top 10 hated stuff other than password.
Support Account Professional | Customer Engagement | Software as a Service | Customer Retention
4 å¹´Robin, while it's funny it's painfully true. I don't how many times I have clicked on all of the street signs only to be told I have missed one by another set popping up for me to try again. Most annoying are the captcha bots popping up on a company website. It wouldn't be bad if it went away for the rest of your visit to the website after clicking on the little x but, no it wants to help you on every page. I know the companies think they are being helpful but more than not it's just annoying.
Enrichment Specialist | Chief Storyteller | Digital Content Marketing Manager | Editor | Product Information Manager | Content Director | Corporate Communications | Executive Communications |
4 å¹´It would be easier if these captcha bots didn't have blurry pictures with hard to see objects in traffic...is that a taxi in the distance...or an ambulance? Or things like signs...where you can't tell if it's a sign...or a lampost in the distance. It would be nice as you suggest if they used obvious images...one face....one hat...one pair of shoes...and one sign that said yes and it said: "please click the yes sign".
Senior Business Analyst | Master Data Management (MDM) | PIM Technical Lead | Senior Client Relationship Management | Senior Business Operations Management | Senior Project Management | LSSGB
4 å¹´Robin Hilarious and insightful! I too am frustrated by Captcha and the helper bots, especially when they appear over the areas that I need to click. And to make it worse you can close them only to have them reappear on your next click. I get the feeling that there has not been enough customer research done on how to provide help and security. Failure to complete thorough analysis only creates a non-value-add experience. Great way to illustrate this!!! Craig Bohall, Bill Hicks, David Ball, Tina Marie Baugh, Chris Serafin,