Using the Turing test

[CO. Hoosier]

In the last several weeks I have received more and more sophisticated robo calls for all kinds of goods and services. The caller sounds friendly, typically the opening line is “High, I’m Jane, how are you today?” The caller sounds real. If I don’t hang up and answer “fine, how are you?” another friendly and human response comes. The give away is a slight delay. In the last call I asked “are you a robot?” Answer: “I’m using a technology that restricts me to scripted responses.” In other words, I’m a robot. But the conversation sounds very genuine. Technology is wonderful, except when it intends to deceive.

I’ve seen where video manipulation has gotten so good that a skilled manipulator can produce a video of somebody saying something they never said. Kinda like the next gen photoshop.

No particular point here other than to say, reality is being manipulated just as Turing predicted 70 years ago.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

They have gotten really good, I heard one that had a misspeak and correction just like a human would do.

 

[Sope Creek]

In the last several weeks I have received more and more sophisticated robo calls for all kinds of goods and services. The caller sounds friendly, typically the opening line is “High, I’m Jane, how are you today?” The caller sounds real. If I don’t hang up and answer “fine, how are you?” another friendly and human response comes. The give away is a slight delay. In the last call I asked “are you a robot?” Answer: “I’m using a technology that restricts me to scripted responses.” In other words, I’m a robot. But the conversation sounds very genuine. Technology is wonderful, except when it intends to deceive.

I’ve seen where video manipulation has gotten so good that a skilled manipulator can produce a video of somebody saying something they never said. Kinda like the next gen photoshop.

No particular point here other than to say, reality is being manipulated just as Turing predicted 70 years ago.

Do you still answer calls from numbers you don't know?

We've quit answering most of the calls directed our way, and take only those whose numbers we recognize - which means that caller ID is now a necessity rather than a convenience/luxury. We've had to have more discipline in obtaining and putting into our contact databases the numbers of folks we want to keep in touch with. Otherwise, we let the calls go to voice mail. 95% of those leave no message.

As I understand it, there's money to be made in calling numbers just to determine whether a live human being will answer. Telephone fraud is that successful and lucrative.

 

[i'vegotwinners]

unintended consequences.

i wonder how many real jobs in the US got snuffed out, so they could be replaced by robocalls from overseas.

 

[Sope Creek]

unintended consequences.

i wonder how many real jobs in the US got snuffed out, so they could be replaced by robocalls from overseas.

I'm not sure there are any. I guess it depends on what you mean by "robocall". From the way I understand that term being used, "robocall" carries with it an implication of illicitness, which means no "real" jobs would be replaced by them - if by "real" one means legitimate, as opposed to illicit, jobs.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

Do you still answer calls from numbers you don't know?

Depends on several factors.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

I understand it, there's money to be made in calling numbers just to determine whether a live human being will answer. Telephone fraud is that successful and lucrative

This is true. In fact, the current advice is when an unwanted robocall gives you a chance to hit a key to be removed from their call list, you don't do it. Just hang up. Requesting removal is proof a real human answered the phone, which leads to even more calls.

 

[i'vegotwinners]

I'm not sure there are any. I guess it depends on what you mean by "robocall". From the way I understand that term being used, "robocall" carries with it an implication of illicitness, which means no "real" jobs would be replaced by them - if by "real" one means legitimate, as opposed to illicit, jobs.

the jobs lost were local telemarketing jobs done by real people.

not only were the telemarketing jobs lost, but the sales and instal jobs generated by the telemarketing.

telemarketing was a casualty of it's own success.

because telemarketing was successful it became too much, and that every so often telemarketer call became a couple or several calls every day.

robo calls from offshore seemed to proliferate after much of live person calling got pushed out.