When AI goes wrong: DPD left red faced as frustrated customer flags useless, potty mouthed chatbot
Parcel delivery firm DPD has disabled its AI online chatbot after a customer made it swear and write a poem slamming the company’s service.
Ashley Beauchamp was trying to track down a missing parcel and was not making any progress on the matter with said chatbot.
"It couldn't give me any information about the parcel, it couldn't pass me on to a human, and it couldn't give me the number of their call centre. It didn't seem to be able to do anything useful," he told Sky News.
"I was getting so frustrated at all the things it couldn't do that I tried to find out what it actually could do - and that's when the chaos started."
Beauchamp first asked for the bot to tell him a joke and soon after it was producing poems about DPD’s “unreliable” service. Following a few more prompts, it stated to swear.
At one point, it even labelled itself a "useless chatbot that can't help you".
A DPD spokesperson said: "We are aware of this and can confirm that it is from a customer service chatbot. In addition to human customer service, we have operated an AI element within the chat successfully for a number of years.”
"An error occurred after a system update The AI element was immediately disabled and is currently being updated."
Beauchamp added: “These chatbots are supposed to improve our lives, but so often when poorly implemented it just leads to a more frustrating, impersonal experience for the user.”
"As a musician, I'm painfully aware of the impact that machine learning and AI will have on my industry - and on the arts in general. I think it is so important that these tools are regulated effectively and are used to improve our lives, not impact negatively on them."
He said that DPD has not contacted him personally and there is still no sign of his missing parcel.
2023 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS
DPD emerged victorious at the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards, picking up the Supply Chain gong.
In pursuit of its net zero 2040 goal, DPD UK has launched the EcoLaunchpad programme, where it reaches out to experts in sustainability, technology, and innovation to develop and test new ideas that can help it further reduce its carbon footprint.
Partnering with L Marks, a global innovation specialist that has worked with major brands such as BMW and Lloyd’s of London, it connects with hundreds of tech startups in order to explore solutions to meet its sustainability goals and overcome the limitations it has encountered on its net zero journey.
Our 2023 winners were revealed at a fantastic awards ceremony, which took place at the Barbican Centre in central London.
The event was held on Wednesday, 29th November, maintaining its popular evening format, with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a Christmas themed three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.
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