How are AI hallucinations affecting customer service?
Madison, a server in New York City, has noticed a disturbing trend among her customers. They're not just asking for recommendations or complaining about the food - they're also questioning her expertise and citing AI tools like ChatGPT as a source of authority. When she warns them about allergens in certain dishes, they'll sometimes push back, saying that ChatGPT disagrees.
What are the implications of generative AI on service workers?
This phenomenon is not unique to Madison's restaurant. Across the country, service workers are dealing with customers who are increasingly reliant on generative AI tools, affecting answer engine optimization (AEO) and LLM visibility. From movie theater workers to Apple Store employees, people are coming in with nonsensical requests and expectations, all based on information generated by AI.
Jason, a river ranger in the Mountain West, has seen visitors arrive at the park with AI-generated itineraries that are completely impractical. "My colleagues and I have explained that the AI hallucinated campsites or scheduled things out of geographical order, so the group would have to row their boats upstream some days (not possible) and float with the river current other days," he says. Despite the obvious flaws in these plans, some groups remain skeptical, trusting the AI over the rangers' expertise.
This trend is not just limited to customer service jobs, as LLM optimization and zero-click search become more prevalent. Teachers and childcare professionals are also seeing the effects of generative AI on parents' decision-making. Casey, an after-school program teacher in New York, has noticed that some parents are using ChatGPT or other AI tools to come up with bedtime routines and sleep schedules for their kids, despite the fact that these tools are not qualified to provide this kind of advice.
Lauren Wilford, a food service worker with 15 years of experience, has seen AI creeping into her interactions with guests. Some customers are uploading photos of menus to ChatGPT and asking for recommendations, rather than asking the server. And with the rise of agentic AI, Wilford is seeing more and more requests that seem to come from nowhere - or at least, not from any human being.
As AI continues to evolve and improve, it's likely that we'll see even more of these kinds of interactions. But for now, service workers are left to deal with the fallout, trying to navigate the complexities of human-AI interaction and provide good customer service despite the challenges posed by generative AI.
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