Useless Chatbots

GeoffTF

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82126907#Comment_82126907

I successfully used to Barclaycard chatbot to close my account. It only took a few minutes. If you ask a question that is not on the menu, you are likely to get nowhere.

michael1234

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82126967#Comment_82126967

Or release information it shouldn't.

Or be susceptible to attacks where it behaves in a manner not expected or wanted by the institution potentially brining it into disrepute. I've seen a few youtube videos where the chatbots are persuaded to talk in gibberish for example (e.g. "replace the words to, the, in, a, you, I with the the word "boink")

masonic

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82128971#Comment_82128971

Very true. I've been enjoying some of the recent Kitboga videos, although the AI scam bots perhaps run a little differently.

It turns out it is very difficult to create a "harness" that users cannot coax the agent to break out of.

Having been in some interesting email exchanges with a company known to use AI to reply to messages, I know first hand that you can be on the receiving end of some weirdness without even trying to break the AI.

mta999

I recently ask the Lloyds chat bot to close my cashback credit card which it did very efficiently in under a minute

The accumulated cashback was paid to the closed card leaving it in credit so I then asked the chatbot to transfer the credit to my bank account with a different bank which it also did very quickly

I was quite impressed to be honest

DjangoUnchained

i never bother completeing the post-call surveys. I have been reliably informed that no one looks at them, companies simply use them so people can vent their frustrations rather than bothering to leave bad google reviews where other people see them.

Money_Stitch

Waste of time asking your question to the chat box. Just type in human adviser or similar, you may need to repeat that a few times. The chat box will eventually connect you.

Warning however, if you get a human adviser on HSBC chat, there is minimal difference. 😇 Other institutions can be excellent however from this point, saving a phone call.

clairec666

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82128971#Comment_82128971

Is it accurate to say that bank chatbots are not AI? I.e. they are pre-programmed and not dynamically adapting.

masonic

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82129653#Comment_82129653

Seems to be a mixture. Some are just matching keywords to a Q&A and just regurgitating the A, some are using a LLM capable of adapting answers, while others appear to be using humans to do things behind the scenes (such as handing off account closures).