Robotic Relief

These days I often don’t find the time to immediately respond to text or Whatsapp messages, far less answer emails at once. Phone calls too don’t get the prompt pick-up-at-one-to-two-rings of the earlier days when life was simpler and there weren’t so many junk or spam calls. Often I see a long list of red numbers on the “missed calls” intimation field and decide to call back as soon as possible if I know the caller.

The unknown ones? Well, they could be important but whenever feeling generous and curious I call back, I get automated voices telling me what they would like to be selling me… .these include everything from the dream vacation to solutions to nightmarish gadget glitches. Be that as it may, I however, do think that I am a chronic communications procrastinator. A friend once quipped, “Getting a Whatsapp reply from you is like waiting for the snail mails of yore.” Right. Thanks for the compliment. The reason I bring this issue up today is because this week I was stunned to find an email reply supposedly written by me to an email pending response. It was more than the AI generated stock responses listed at the bottom of the emails like “Thank you”. “My pleasure”.

Advertisement

Etc. It was an email that replicated my tone, style and even the exact words that I would most likely use. I guessed it was based on the communication I had earlier had with this sender but it was both creepy and convenient at the same time. It was a ready response. I just had to press the send button. I debated for a while whether to go ahead and use it and decided to go for it. I always disapprove of the use of AI generated writing but I have to say, this is a relief. Like rain on parched land. One day maybe the phone would know the junk and spam calls from the real ones. Though I wouldn’t count on it yet. Once a friend was livid when I disconnected a “suspected spam” call. The nasty message that followed is rather unprintable. I hope no bot ever decides to replicate that chat in the friends’s tone and style.

The writer is Editor, Features