What could possibly go wrong?
It’s almost a religious question: in whose image are we making robots?
Will we only make clever, efficient robots who will do what they’re told — built, naturally, in the image of your average middle management functionary?
Or will we attempt to build monsters — just because we like to put our fingers in the fire occasionally?
A New Zealand company called Touchpoint Group says it’s building a robot that will be the worst of us.
It will be angry all the time. Angrier than a motorist trying to tolerate yet another cyclist who goes straight through a stop sign. Angrier than Kanye when he sees a paparazzo. And, yes, angrier than any Comcast customer that ever lived.
The idea, in fact, is to help organizations deal with angry customers. As the Australian Business Review reports, Touchpoint is working with a bank so that its machines can better understand why customers get angry.
We do like to put our finger in the fire, don’t we?
