Reporter tries to get Suspected Robo-Caller to Admit She’s a Robot.

Didnt see this posted but, that doesnt mean it's not. If it is, mods please close.

Not sure how to post the conversation here on the forum. If it's possible to do, can someone explain how or please post it.

A reporter at TIME magazine recently got a phone call from a woman named Samantha West who wanted to talk about health insurance. When the reporter asked her if she was a robot, she laughed and said, "I am a real person, can you hear me okay?"

TIME Washington bureau chief Michael Scherer got the initial call from Samantha on his cell phone, and although she sounded somewhat like a real person who wanted to talk about healthcare, he quickly deduced that she was definitely a robot.

Scherer and his colleagues called her number back multiple times and made some recordings — she can sort of carry on a real conversation, and parts of it are convincing — she laughs naturally and has a few different responses to the word "robot."

She failed several other tests. When asked “What vegetable is found in tomato soup?” she said she did not understand the question. When asked multiple times what day of the week it was yesterday, she complained repeatedly of a bad connection

You can listen to the conversation here

reply to post by MrLimpet


It sounded more like canned answers played on a digital device then an actual A.I., but unnerving none the less!

I really wanted to hear the one about Tomato Soup...

reply to post by abeverage


Same here.

There are 2 recordings so far, that I have heard. Neither have the tomato soup question. I'll post if I run across it.

I found them on YouTube.

reply to post by FortAnthem


Thanks FortAnthem!

I couldn't figure out a way to post the recording without a link.

Yes I read an article about this the other day. It's not a robot, it's a person who speaks bad English playing back a set of pre-recorded phrases.

robo calling at its finest ha ha...
why wouldnt a real person say that 'i am not a robot' ?....instead just do that fake chuckle and repeat a phrase?

will we find a way when all hope is lost?

SkepticOverlord What vegetable is found in tomato soup?

reply to post by ChaoticOrder


Is that better or worse?

I guess its good that an actual human being is making some money but, something tells me they're still saving money hiring illegals over using a real robot caller.

I helped set up a call centre years ago that was designed for people with disabilities.

One man had had a stroke and was unable to talk well and the left side of his body was pretty much useless.
He had a computer with a set of prerecorded responses that he could simply click on but for things that werent in the script he could type it and Steven Hawking would answer for him (not the real Steven Hawking I dont think but the guy impersonating him sounded identical )

The difference is there was a disclaimer at the start that told the other person what was happening.

The recording from the OP its obvious its not actually a live person, Im sure the company that makes the calls could be sued for lying

reply to post by interupt42

SkepticOverlord What vegetable is found in tomato soup?

i would laugh so hard if the response was like "tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable"

Sorry but this is pretty ridiculous.

I listened to the calls last night, it's clearly a real person.
The amount of technical expertise necessary to create an AI program with this level of sophistication is simply not reasonable for merely making annoying phone calls to promote health insurance.

The woman actually responded with different tonality and even questioned the guy several times.
She just didn't know she was suppose to repeat the EXACT words this guy kept asking. Obviously she was totally confused by his bizarre inquisition.

The odds of this being an automated voice are like 1% or less.
How did this get so many flags?

You folks are confusing me big time these days with things like this.

reply to post by muzzleflash

She just didn't know she was suppose to repeat the EXACT words this guy kept asking. Obviously she was totally confused by his bizarre inquisition.

There was a real person controlling the voice, but the voice was only a recording of a real person. The reason "she" couldn't repeat the exact words he was asking for is because the person only had a limited set of pre-recorded phrases to play back.

muzzleflash
Sorry but this is pretty ridiculous.

I listened to the calls last night, it's clearly a real person.
The amount of technical expertise necessary to create an AI program with this level of sophistication is simply not reasonable for merely making annoying phone calls to promote health insurance.

The woman actually responded with different tonality and even questioned the guy several times.
She just didn't know she was suppose to repeat the EXACT words this guy kept asking. Obviously she was totally confused by his bizarre inquisition.

The odds of this being an automated voice are like 1% or less.
How did this get so many flags?

You folks are confusing me big time these days with things like this.

Wow muzzle, are you serious?

The tonality only changed with different responses. The tone stayed the exact same when the voice had to repeat itself, with the particular giggle and statement "I am a real person". You know how I know for a fact this is a pre-recorded response system? She doesn't even act like a real person. Because she isn't.

A real human being on the line wouldn't pause for every answer and would be able to respond correctly to any question being asked or even try to convey a confidence that can be heard. There was none of that with this particular voice. It wasn't hard for me to understand the questions and I would make sure my caller would receive the appropriate response to any question. Not the same, repeated, monotonous statements.

It is clearly a machine, or computer operated response system. Robot though? I doubt it.

I'm actually very impressed with the tech involved with this robot caller. The voice recognition is top notch, and well, I am just very impressed.

just because she didn't say it doesn't mean she was a robot. She might have been. But it's a good idea. Using AI to advertise anywhere and everywhere.

With all the programs out there on the Internetz that people use, I.e., voice generated programs and the such, it is no wonder that the response was so generic. I can guarantee this is merely a program on a computer screen that has boxed entries for the user to click and choose the appropriate response. Could be used for foreign language telemarketing or disabled. No doubt in my mind that is what we are hearing.

Just doing a simple 3 second search and I can find soundboards people use to prank.
Like the one HERE.

That is just for fun, I can imagine the companies who do this for their sales.

Sounds like a robot to me.
Definitely not a live human anyway.

It's either:
A. Pre-recorded phrases that a non-English-speaking worker is triggering in order to conduct a conversation. Very unlikely. If that were the case, how would they know which phrases to use if they didn't speak English?
And why would they have the phrase "I am a real person" in their selection of pre-recorded phrases?
Why are you saying you ARE a real person? Nobody's saying you're not a real person! I'm not saying that; what a ridiculous thing to come out with!

or

B. A robot that was programmed with all the words and phrases it needs to conduct that specific type of conversation/interview, including the phrase "I am a real person, sorry you can't hear me, maybe there's a bad connection" because the company probably already guessed that a lot of people wouldn't be fooled by this and were expecting these people to ask "Are you a real person?" rather than "Are you a robot?" That's why "she" couldn't repeat a simple specific phrase when asked.

I vote 'B'.

havok
Just doing a simple 3 second search and I can find soundboards people use to prank.
Like the one HERE.

Thanks for posting the link to the voice soundboards.

I'm going to have some fun with that.

This reminds me of the conversation bots on yahoo chat from years ago, anyone remember those? they were programmed to start a conversation from basic introductory skills.
Looks like technology has really taken the concept forward