‘We’re Sorry for Your Loss. Are There Any Services You’d Like to Add?’

“Regan Walsh of Columbus, Ohio is the youngest of six kids. So when her mom died last summer at 89 years old, the jobs that come with wrapping up a long life were divided among the siblings. One of Walsh’s tasks was to close out her mother’s cable account. So she dialed the company’s number and waded through the usual menus.

Soon, she says, she found herself chatting with a human-sounding AI assistant who called herself Mary, and asked the reason for her call. When Walsh told her, “Mary led with empathy for a moment, and I was shocked,” says Walsh. When she told ‘Mary’ she wanted to cancel because her mother had passed away,” she said, ‘I’m sorry for your loss.'”

But the next question from the automated assistant quickly erased any warm feelings. “Are there any additional services you would like to add to . . .”

https://www.nextavenue.org/were-sorry-for-your-loss-are-there-any-services-youd-like-to-add