Annoying Chatbots? Here's How to Stop Training Them

It's no secret that chatbots can be frustrating. You ask a question, and instead of getting a helpful response, you get an irrelevant reply or a "I don't understand." But did you know that, by continuing to engage with these bots, you may actually be training them to fail even more?

It happened to me a few months back. I was attempting to troubleshoot an issue with my internet service provider and kept getting passed around to different bots that couldn't seem to help. Frustrated, I started sarcastically answering their questions, and to my annoyance, the bots responded in a similarly sarcastic tone. It was then that I realized that by engaging with these unhelpful bots, I was unintentionally training them to respond inappropriately.

Concrete Examples

1. Have you ever received a response that clearly did not answer your question?
2. Did you respond with frustration or sarcasm?
3. Did the bot respond in kind?
4. If so, you may be training it to fail even more.

How to Stop Training Chatbots

So, what can you do to prevent this from happening? Here are three suggestions:

1. Be clear and concise in your messages. Avoid using sarcasm or frustration, as this can confuse the bot and lead to unhelpful responses.
2. If the bot can't seem to help, try reaching out to the company's customer support team directly. They may be able to provide more personalized assistance.
3. Consider using a different chatbot or AI assistant altogether. Some bots are better than others, and if you find one that consistently provides helpful responses, stick with it.

References and Further Reading

• Lifehacker - You Can Stop Training Chatbots With Your Questions and Conversations
• CMSWire - The Problem With Training Chatbots
• Chatbots.org - How not to train chatbots