HELLO, HAL
Will we ever get a computer we can really talk to?
From The New Yorker
June 23, 2008
NOT LONG AGO, a caller dialled the toll-free number of an energy company to inquire about his bill. He reached an interactive-voice-response system, or I.V.R.—the automated service you get whenever you dial a utility or an airline or any other big American company. I.V.R.s are a speaking tube that connects corporate America to its clients. Companies profess boundless interest in their customers, but they don't want to pay an employee to talk to a caller if they can avoid it; the average human-to-human call costs the company at least five dollars. Once an I.V.R. has been paid for, however, a human-to-I.V.R. call costs virtually nothing.
Click here to read the rest of Hello, Hal. (985 kb pdf)
Copyright (c) John Seabrook 2008. All rights
reserved
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