A parcel delivery firm in Britain has decided to disable the Artificial Intelligence (AI) function in its online chat systems following an unexpected turn of events, when a disgruntled user managed to coax the system into composing a scathing poem about the company’s customer service.
Ashley Beauchamp, a pianist and conductor, grew frustrated trying to extract a phone number for customer services from the chatbot named DPD. In a twist of creative expression, abandoned his quest for information and instead requested the chatbot to craft a poem elucidating the subpar nature of its service.
The AI-powered chatbot obliged, generating verses that began with, “There was once a chatbot named DPD, Who was useless at providing help.” The poem continued to depict DPD as a “waste of time” and “a customer’s worst nightmare” before concluding with a jubilant farewell to the malfunctioning chatbot.
Beauchamp shared the exchange on the social media platform X, where it garnered substantial attention, amassing 1.1 million views since its posting on Thursday.
According to Beauchamp, his interaction with the chatbot escalated from an initial request for a joke to encouraging the AI to compose a poem highlighting the failures of automated customer service. He even dared the bot to use explicit language.
In response to the incident, Beauchamp humorously suggested that the parcel delivery firm might now be holding his package hostage, acknowledging that the situation was his own doing.
DPD UK, the parcel delivery company, clarified that they had successfully integrated an AI element within their chat system for several years alongside human customer service. However, an unforeseen error occurred after a recent system update. Immediately addressing the situation, the company deactivated the AI element and is currently working on updating the system.
The poetic critique of DPD’s chatbot service serves as a reminder of the delicate balance in utilizing AI in customer interactions and the need for continuous refinement to prevent unintended consequences.