#people #machines #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #hospitality #jobs #tasks
The Chase ad portrays the man in the self-driving car and the robot serving him coffee (not the way he wants it) with the song, “Tired of Being Alone” playing in the background.
Chase promises that when you go into its offices, you’ll have real people to serve you.
Machines are great for some tasks. They can actually replace some people for menial tasks.
But, the line should be drawn for public-facing jobs. Chase is correct. People should serve people.
The advancement of AI holds great promise, perhaps for some back-of-the-house tasks, to use a hospitality term.
But, the front of the house should be people. Of course, robots could bring things to the people who serve.
In fact, part of the reason people go to banks, restaurants and other public spaces is to interact with people.
That isn’t to say that some tasks could not be automated. For example, one could envision going into a restaurant, choosing a seat yourself, placing an order via a computer, laptop or tablet and, when finished, paying the bill via that same device.
But, there should be actual people to consult if there are questions about certain menu items, and to bring the food to the table. Can anyone envision asking a machine whether a certain dish is spicy?
If it comes to that, how could anyone believe what the machine is saying?
Hospitality, by definition, is human-to-human contact. People serving, or caring for, people.
Much of banking, meanwhile, has become automated. You can make a withdrawal or deposit by ATM.
But, you can’t get financial advice – at least good, reliable advice about your personal situation – from a machine.
Of course, if you don’t need advice and just need to, say, buy a mutual fund or a CD, a machine can probably do that.
But, the point of the Chase ad is that we, as people or as customers, prefer interacting with people. We can only hope that Chase, and other institutions like it, prefer using people, rather than machines, to serve its customers and clients.
You can certainly cultivate relationships using electronic devices, Web sites and social media. But, it is definitely not the same as talking to someone in person.
Such mechanical interactions have prompted lots of loneliness and, as has been alleged, created mental health issues, particularly among younger people.
A young person who’s grown comfortable with online interactions may have difficulty with interpersonal interactions in a workplace.
The lesson here is that not only is it good business to have real people for customers and clients to talk to, it’s also good for society. When given the choice of talking to a real person live, or communicating online, one should always choose the former.
That isn’t to say that online communication doesn’t work in some scenarios.
In the 1964 Broadway musical “Funny Girl,” Barbra Streisand famously sang: “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”
Whenever you are able to interact with someone in person, you should. When you do, consider yourself lucky.
Peter
Tag Archives: people
GRATITUDE IS GIVEN; RESPECT IS EARNED
#gratitude #respect #DemandingGratitude #DemandingRespect #people
It’s been said we all should have an attitude of gratitude.
Indeed, we need to be grateful for all that is good in our lives – family, friends and other blessings we may have.
We should also respect those who earn our respect.
But, when gratitude and respect are demanded, rather than earned or given, it sets a different tone.
If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. That adage plays well in sales, but not in terms of gratitude and respect.
If you have earned respect and been given gratitude, whether stated or not, you should not have to ask for or demand it. It’s probably better that you don’t know someone respects you, or is grateful to you. Gratitude and respect are not – or should not be – transactable.
I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine. That is a transaction. Those who ask for or demand gratitude or respect are likely not going to return the favor. Nor should the giver of gratitude and respect expect anything in return.
Be nice to me. One may see that on a T-shirt as a joke. But, if someone is constantly asking for someone, or everyone, to be nice to him or her, it makes one wonder why that person would have to ask in the first place. Is everyone mean to him or her? Does everyone not give him or her the time of day?
If the answer to either question is yes, the person has to ask himself or herself why that is.
Very likely, it has less to do with the people with whom the person interacts, and more to do with the person himself.
Who’s going to win this battle? I am. I usually do.
Such a question may be posed to a parent with an antsy or misbehaving child. To the parent, it should not be a battle to be won. The parent should have full control of the situation. If the parent does not, it’s usually on the parent, not the child.
When an adult is in the same situation with another adult, and that person thinks he or she always wins no matter what, there may be some injustice there.
It’s my way, or the highway. People who feel this way have an oversized sense of self, which can be destructive.
In most human interactions, goals can be the same, but the paths to get to them may be different.
In other instances, the goals are as different as the paths. That can lead to impasse, or worse.
To summarize, treat others as you would like to be treated. Don’t expect people to treat you differently from how you treat them.
Try to give gratitude and earn respect whenever possible. Expect nothing in return – not even the acknowledgement of the respect or gratitude.
Then, give gratitude and respect, whether or not you get it in return.
If you do right by others, others are more likely to do right by you. There should be no need for demands. If you give with good intentions, chances are you will get in return.
Peter
It’s been said we all should have an attitude of gratitude.
Indeed, we need to be grateful for all that is good in our lives – family, friends and other blessings we may have.
We should also respect those who earn our respect.
But, when gratitude and respect are demanded, rather than earned or given, it sets a different tone.
If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. That adage plays well in sales, but not in terms of gratitude and respect.
If you have earned respect and been given gratitude, whether stated or not, you should not have to ask for or demand it. It’s probably better that you don’t know someone respects you, or is grateful to you. Gratitude and respect are not – or should not be – transactable.
I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine. That is a transaction. Those who ask for or demand gratitude or respect are likely not going to return the favor. Nor should the giver of gratitude and respect expect anything in return.
Be nice to me. One may see that on a T-shirt as a joke. But, if someone is constantly asking for someone, or everyone, to be nice to him or her, it makes one wonder why that person would have to ask in the first place. Is everyone mean to him or her? Does everyone not give him or her the time of day?
If the answer to either question is yes, the person has to ask himself or herself why that is.
Very likely, it has less to do with the people with whom the person interacts, and more to do with the person himself.
Who’s going to win this battle? I am. I usually do.
Such a question may be posed to a parent with an antsy or misbehaving child. To the parent, it should not be a battle to be won. The parent should have full control of the situation. If the parent does not, it’s usually on the parent, not the child.
When an adult is in the same situation with another adult, and that person thinks he or she always wins no matter what, there may be some injustice there.
It’s my way, or the highway. People who feel this way have an oversized sense of self, which can be destructive.
In most human interactions, goals can be the same, but the paths to get to them may be different.
In other instances, the goals are as different as the paths. That can lead to impasse, or worse.
To summarize, treat others as you would like to be treated. Don’t expect people to treat you differently from how you treat them.
Try to give gratitude and earn respect whenever possible. Expect nothing in return – not even the acknowledgement of the respect or gratitude.
Then, give gratitude and respect, whether or not you get it in return.
If you do right by others, others are more likely to do right by you. There should be no need for demands. If you give with good intentions, chances are you will get in return.
Peter