Lost in translation

I was scrolling through my LinkedIn feed the other day when I stumbled upon this hilarious (and kinda sad) interaction.

Picture this:

A traveller, probably exhausted and frustrated, tweets:

"Thanks, ABC airline for safely landing me in Seattle and sending my baggage to New York. This is the best customer experience I could ever get."

We can all tell that's sarcasm, right? We've all felt like that - when you're so annoyed you just have to be super snarky. But wait, it gets better. ABC Airlines' robot reply says:

"We are glad you enjoyed our service, we are here to serve you."

Now, you'd think a big airline would have all the fancy tech to avoid this kind of facepalm moment. But nope! Their old-school AI saw words like "thanks" and "best" and thought, "Yay! Happy customer!"Of course, the internet did what it always does - made tons of jokes about it. ABC Airlines became the laughingstock of the day, all because their tech couldn't spot some obvious sarcasm.

But Gen AI models always get your jokes - they pick up on sarcasm, irony, and all those little quirks that make human language so fun and tricky.

So, what's the takeaway? In this world of viral tweets and lightning-fast communication, companies need to step up their Gen AI game. While not every challenge can be anticipated or resolved, the process of modernization is an inherent part of natural evolution. As systems and technologies advance, it's inevitable that we encounter new issues and adapt to overcome them.

Disclaimer: ABC airline is fictional, and this frustrated customer is not a real person. However, similar incidents occur frequently.