Tahmid Akthar is a History graduate, who’s worked as a content writer and researcher within the fashion and creative industries for the past 7 years. Outside of work he’s watching Arsenal through his hands over his eyes.

People’s perceptions of artificial intelligence have long been shaded by sci-fi narratives that depicted the tech as, at best, scarily knowledgeable or, at worst, a harbinger of societal collapse. But in the real world, AIs are unlikely to cause any catastrophes (in the near future at least). Rather than taking control of missile defense systems or national power grids, smart algorithms have generally been applied to mundane day-to-day tasks. They’re being used to provide 

Numerous major brands have recognized the potential of machine learning, releasing chatbots to improve their operations and enhance customer interactions. While 

 allow people to order pizza through a Facebook Messenger bot, Sephora automates make-up tips for Kik users. Even Walmart has gotten on board, launching a chatbot in April 2019 to help parents easily create personal baby registries. Dubbed Hoo The Owl, it asks users for details such as due date, gender, state, and preferred nursery theme, using this information to pre-populate a gift list. 

 As more and more businesses embrace the tech, it’s projected that global sales driven by chatbots will reach $112 billion by 2023, up from $7.3 billion in 2019. Additionally, using chatbots in customer service roles could help retailers save up to $439 million annually within four years. 

Yet while brands might be keen on integrating chatbots into their offerings, what do consumers think? According to research conducted by Canvas8 in collaboration with Toluna, Americans are happy enough to book reservations/appointments or get product information from a bot, but when it comes to personal and complex matters, they’re reluctant to share with an algorithm, preferring a human instead. Canvas8 spoke to 15 people from across the US to learn about their past experiences with chatbots and understand why they would or wouldn’t use them in the future.

I’ve found that some bots are really well implemented and provide useful answers and content for a wide range of basic questions. I think it is a great consumer experience and also saves the vendor money on the front end. I would be open to using a chatbot in almost any area of my life – as long as there’s an off-ramp to a human available once questions begin to get too complex for the bot.

I can’t think of an area of my life where I’d be opposed to automated assistance at the onset, but once it got more complicated I’d want it to be handed off to a human. I think robots can be good at simple and common diagnoses of problems and can, therefore, free humans up to work on the more important things. An example of this with Comcast – the robot can figure out there’s an outage and tell me to wait and that won’t waste a person’s time.

I wouldn't talk to a chatbot because bots aren't set for every situation, just the most common, and the most uncommon issues are the ones that I'd want addressed immediately. I think there should be options given by a live person and then they can send people to bots or handle the situation themselves or send them to another person who can assist.

I probably have, but they're forgettable interactions. I don't mind talking to them when completing tasks that only require accessing and verifying information. I would get annoyed if I had a problem to solve. It is annoying to have to jump through the bot hoops in order to get to a person to solve a problem because then they usually ask all the questions you previously answered and it's like ‘what was the point of that?’

I think Patagonia had one that was really helpful. For any clothing website, I’m down. But for finances and health, I will be enraged by bots because they’re never helpful and I want to speak to a human.

People don’t think algorithms can generate in-depth answers

I know banks have chatbots. Most often you can't avoid them when it's a financial question unless you physically call a local number or walk into the bank. Do I welcome it? Well, yeah if it means I get what I need quicker. But sadly, that also replaces a person's job, so that makes me sad.

I’m pretty sure I have used them for questions on shopping websites. I’ve asked simple questions to a chatbot like ‘do you ship internationally?’ I think they’d be good for these simple questions but I would be frustrated to be given a chatbot when I am asking a more in-depth question. It doesn’t really matter to me the category in which my question comes from but more the type of question as a whole. I don’t like it when my question feels personal and I get an impersonal response. If I ask about something that’s impersonal, such as something I can easily find on an FAQ page but I’m too lazy to search for, then it’s okay.

I am a bit skeptical of recommendations I receive from bots. I think their suggestions can be a bit cookie-cutter and limited in their creativity. I do, however, enjoy bots that help me narrow things down and help to simplify a decision process. In recent weeks, I have come across AI bots that allow you to ‘choose your own adventure’ by prompting detailed answers and then making you choose where to go. I think these bots are useful.

I’d like to be able to get automated responses on questions pertaining to health. Probably commonplace questions that most people don’t have time to visit a doctor about. A holistic health expert would be a perfect automated option – a physical, mental, and/or spiritual health and wellness one-stop-shop.

I've communicated with chatbots in lots of parts of my life, but I almost always I have to get to a real person to get my question answered. This is usually because I can easily find the FAQs page but my questions aren't frequently asked, or I want more information than what's on the FAQ, so I need a human to answer it. I don't mind chatbots when I'm looking for information – occasionally they're more helpful than I would expect – but it's infuriating when there's only a chatbot and it's not a helpful one. When I'm looking for more in-depth information, talking to a human is nice.

Bots may save brands money, but they strip away the human touch

Canvas8’s survey revealed that 33% of Americans would feel comfortable using chatbots to get product details from brands and retailers. 

 “I would welcome chatbots in situations that need quick responses,” says Katie, 27, from California. “For example, for shopping I would be more than happy to handle an order/return, check if an item online is in stock in a specific store, or monitor the status of an order.” A number of brands across sectors are using chatbots for exactly these purposes, helping them save employees’ time and cut overheads. Lego, for instance, deployed a Facebook Messenger bot in the run-up to Christmas 2017, guiding users through the brand’s vast catalog to find the right gifts. 

 Hipmunk’s Hello bot, meanwhile, acts as a virtual holiday planner, sending deals based on a person’s desired destination and dates. 

With 37% of survey respondents saying they’d happily use chatbots to book appointments and reservations, it’s clear that many Americans are interested in the practical everyday applications of machine learning. Yet given that only 9% would be willing to use the tech for impartial guidance on personal issues (e.g. health, financial, and legal concerns), a human touch is still preferred when dealing with more sensitive subjects. 

 “I would not welcome this form of assistance, especially for finances or health. For these serious matters, a live person would be best because only a person could understand the complexity of the situation,” says Priyanka, a 30-year-old New Yorker. Indeed, research carried out by 

 found that when it comes to customer service, 57% of people think humans are more effective at solving problems and handling their needs, while just 9% think bots would be better. 

There are times when a yes or no does not work. I am from the old school where it just feels better to talk to a person

There are, however, some opportunities for health brands to harness AI. Microsoft’s Healthcare Bot service allows its partners to build chatbots that can securely manage appointment bookings, help people find nearby doctors, and get answers to non-medical questions. 

 These use cases require little personal information, which can be encrypted, so users won’t have to worry about divulging intimate details. At the other end of the scale, 

 addresses the dearth of mental health services available to the American public, providing a way to share their problems without fear of judgment, and the 

 saw the introduction of a chatbot to provide automated medical advice through an app. These latter examples may be slow to take off due to concerns about the ability of bots to adequately understand responses, but as the tech develops such tools could help cover for overburdened medical professionals by providing essential health information.

People’s views towards chatbots are split across generational lines – just 17% of 18- to 34-year-olds say they’d never use a chatbot, compared to 46% of over-55s. Additionally, while 21% of the younger cohort feel comfortable using bots to transfer money or pay bills, just 6% of Boomers and Seniors say the same – a reflection of how Gen Yers and Zers are more at ease managing money through digital channels. 

 As companies embrace chatbots as a means of cutting costs – it’s estimated that firms with large subscriber bases (banks, insurance firms, etc.) could save $7.3 billion by 2023 by shifting away from call center workers – digital natives may be well-served, but older Americans could feel left behind. 

 “There are times when a yes or no does not work. Sometimes you say something and then want to rephrase it and you cannot because it is on to the next question,” says Aloma, 71, from Minnesota. “I am from the old school where it just feels better to talk to a person.”

Canvas8 carried out this research in collaboration with Toluna, surveying 2,600 people across the US in MayApril 2019.

North America

United States

Technology

'Walmart wants to host your baby registry', The Motley Fool

'Chatbots expected to drive $7.3bn in retail sales in 2019', Essential Retail

Research conducted by Canvas8 in collaboration with Toluna

'Meet Lego’s Facebook Messenger chatbot Ralph, a helpful alternative to bricks and mortar', The Drum

'7+ amazing examples of online chatbots and virtual digital assistants in practice', Forbes

'Two-out-of-three Americans interact with AI chatbots, but we still prefer humans', ZDNet

'Microsoft’s Healthcare Bot service becomes generally available in Azure Marketplace', VentureBeat

'Banks are promoting 'female' chatbots to help customers, raising concerns of stereotyping', Forbes

Boasting the ability to save brands time and money, chatbots are being harnessed across industries to answer everyday consumer queries. But do people really want to talk to algorithms? Canvas8 spoke to 15 Americans to learn about their experiences with bots and when they would prefer to use them.

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