There’s been a lot of chat about AI replacing jobs lately.

And I get it, there are signs it’s happening. For certain roles, especially more junior ones, the threat is real.

But there are some things a computer will never know and never be able to do.

Like reading somebody’s emotions.

Burger King in the US, this is a story out this week, is trialling AI software to judge how courteous and friendly its staff are. They’ve got an aptly named AI assistant, Patty, apparently doing this task.

Party lives in their headsets, monitoring their every word. If you’re handing out Whoppers at a drive thru, Patty will apparently record how many times you say welcome, please, and thank you. Patty then delivers the Whopper crew a daily friendliness score.

Apart from sounding like a peak micro-managing pain in the ass, Patty, with respect, actually doesn’t know what she or it is talking about.  

Can Patty detect sarcasm? Does Patty know if you’re dead in the eyes while welcoming the next hungry customer?

Customer service isn’t so much about what somebody says, but how they say it. 

It’s a glint in the eye. An affectation of the face. In Japan a polite bow of the head. In New Zealand, too much talking and fake friendly could be seen as rude. We’re more of a smile and polite hand gesture-type country.

Human interaction is intricate and unique and takes even trained humans time to properly figure out. 

We humans have more than 40 facial muscles and using them in different ways can apparently convey 10,000 subtle emotional messages.

I went to the bank yesterday to order a Eftpos card. The bank manager came over to say hello and I can’t tell you most of she said, but I know she was lovely. I went home and told my partner about her. 

Is this a job AI can master? I mean really? 

Even if Patty had a camera on our eyeballs, a microphone, and pulse checker, I don’t it could truly tell what we’re really thinking in a way only other humans can. 

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