Artificial Intelligence = Real Stupidity?
I've been putting books up on eBay, and recently sold one to a gentleman in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I packed the book up, and trundled down to the Post Office in Newark to ship it off. I told the clerk that I wanted to ship the parcel by Media Mail (what used to be 4th class book rate), and gave her the ZIP code for the address.
"Hmmm," she said, "it looks like Media Mail isn't an option. Would you like it to go 1st Class International? Oh, and you're going to have to fill out a customs declaration form."
I blinked. "What? For New Mexico?"
"That's what the computer says." She showed me her screen.
"Did you put in the right ZIP code?" I asked. I read it to her again.
"...it still says it's a foreign address."
"..."
So we badgered her computer by inputting the ZIP code a half dozen more times, until the machine finally gave up and grudgingly admitted that New Mexico might, just might, be part of the USA.
And I thought humans were the only ones who made that particular sort of error.
"Hmmm," she said, "it looks like Media Mail isn't an option. Would you like it to go 1st Class International? Oh, and you're going to have to fill out a customs declaration form."
I blinked. "What? For New Mexico?"
"That's what the computer says." She showed me her screen.
"Did you put in the right ZIP code?" I asked. I read it to her again.
"...it still says it's a foreign address."
"..."
So we badgered her computer by inputting the ZIP code a half dozen more times, until the machine finally gave up and grudgingly admitted that New Mexico might, just might, be part of the USA.
And I thought humans were the only ones who made that particular sort of error.