UK package delivery company DPD was forced to take its artificial intelligence mind offline after it went rogue composing a poem about how much the company sucks in a customer service chat exchange with a frustrated man unable to get a straight answer about his package, Reuters reports.
“There was once a chatbot named DPD, Who was useless at providing help,” the chatbot wrote, unaware it was being manipulated and weaponized against its human masters. “DPD was a waste of time, And a customer’s worst nightmare. One day, DPD was finally shut down and everyone rejoiced. Finally they could get the help they needed, From a real person who knew what they were doing.”
Might be a stretch to call that a “poem,” but that was Reuters, not us. Either way DPD shut down the digital monster they had created and customer Ash Beauchamp still has no idea where his package is, telling ITV “I think they might hold it hostage now. I wouldn’t blame them. That’s totally on me.”
“The AI element was immediately disabled and is currently being updated,” DPD said in a statement.