A.I. Story – This is Dorothy, Your Problems Are My Problems, How Can I Help?

This story is based on actual events. Names have been changed for privacy concerns.

Five years ago, a multi-national company set up a call center in a low income rural hamlet outside of Chicago.

They received massive tax incentives and abatements with the promise they would hire at least 300 local townspeople.

The corporation made more than good on their commitment and within a year they hired 600.

They were trained in a unique greeting. Dorothy Miller was the head operator.

She did all the training.

She would say to new recruits, “This is the most important part of your job, our greeting.

First impressions can make or break these interactions.

Always be chipper and truly interested. Your sincerity to help our customers must come through the phone.

I will do it once, and then we will go around the room.

Here we go!

This is Dorothy, Your Problems Are My Problems, How Can I Help?”

All the new hires would take their turn. 

On a non-descript Friday, as the clock struck five, the 600 made their way home.

Once the office was empty, large moving trucks entered the parking lot.

On Saturday at 12 noon, a mass email was sent terminating all 600 workers and letting them know any personal belongings would be shipped to their homes.

On Monday morning almost all 600 showed up at the office. The parking lot was encircled in temporary but very strong fence sections.

They were all labeled: “Property of Nile.”

The interior of the building was completely empty.

They were beyond distraught.

Some tried to call the customer service line.

Dorothy called and heard her own caring and cheerful voice.

“This is Dorothy, Your Problems Are My Problems, How Can I Help?”

Dorothy was paralyzed.

Her phantom voice sounded chipper and truly interested. Its sincerity in helping a customer was coming through the phone.

The pitch and tenor were perfect.

Phantom Operator Dorothy said: “Are you there? This is Dorothy, Your Problems Are My Problems, How Can I Help?”

Everyone called in and got their or one of their co-workers’ phantom voices on the line.

The calls were actually being routed to a Montana data center and being fielded by the AI-Clone 2.0 system.

Management had installed this system, unbeknownst to the 600, over a year ago.

This system had recorded all phone calls and employee conversations.

It had cloned the voice (with full accents), manner and experience of each operator. It even mimicked the unique breathing patterns.

All experience was shared amongst the cloned operators, so they all were experts.

Nile bought the building and turned it into a fulfillment center.

Nile needed no human beings at the site.

Only A.I. controlled robots were used with unique employee clones provided by AI-Clone 2.0.

AI-Clone’s motto:

Unique Personal Human Interactions, 

Without The Humans.

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