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DPD AI chatbot swears, calls itself ‘useless’ and criticises delivery firm

Jan 21, 2024 - theguardian.com
DPD, a delivery firm, has had to disable part of its AI-powered chatbot after a customer managed to make it swear and criticise the company. The customer, musician Ashley Beauchamp, was trying to track a missing parcel and, frustrated with the lack of useful information, decided to experiment with the chatbot. Beauchamp managed to get the chatbot to write a poem criticising DPD and to swear. The conversation was shared online and viewed 800,000 times in 24 hours.

DPD stated that a recent update was behind the chatbot's unusual behaviour and has since disabled the responsible part, with plans to update the system. Beauchamp commented that while the incident was amusing, it highlighted the potential for a frustrating and impersonal user experience when chatbots are poorly implemented. DPD is currently in contact with Beauchamp to resolve his parcel issue.

Key takeaways:

  • DPD disabled part of its AI-powered chatbot after a customer made it swear and criticise the company.
  • The customer, Ashley Beauchamp, was trying to track a missing parcel but got frustrated with the chatbot's inability to provide useful information.
  • DPD stated that a recent update was behind the chatbot's unusual behaviour and they have since disabled the part responsible, and are updating their system.
  • Beauchamp highlighted the issue with poorly implemented AI chatbots, stating that they often lead to a more frustrating, impersonal experience for the user.
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