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A British delivery company faced a setback when its utilization of AI resulted in a disgruntled customer manipulating the system to use profanity and criticize the company. This incident led the company to deactivate a section of its AI-driven chatbot.
Reportedly, the AI’s erratic behavior ensued following a system update by the delivery firm, Dynamic Parcel Distribution (DPD), causing the chatbot to malfunction.
DPD acknowledged the issue, stating to the BBC, “An error occurred after a system update yesterday. The AI component was promptly disabled and is currently undergoing updates.”
Musician Ashley Beauchamp was the first to exploit the chatbot, sharing the incident in a series of viral posts on Thursday, January 18.
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A photograph captured in Krakow, Poland on March 10, 2022, depicts a woman utilizing a DPD Pickup Station parcel locker. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Beauchamp expressed dissatisfaction with the AI chatbot, mentioning, “Parcel delivery firm DPD have replaced their customer service chat with an AI robot thing. It’s utterly useless at answering any queries.” He further highlighted that the chatbot even generated a poem criticizing the company when prompted.
In a sequence of interactions, Beauchamp persuaded the chatbot to use profanity and disregard rules, to which the AI enthusiastically responded with expletives and a willingness to assist, even if it involved swearing.
In a scene from London, England, a DPD courier driver is seen re-entering his delivery van parked alongside a Royal Mail post box in Westminster central London on November 13, 2023. (Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Beauchamp continued to goad the chatbot into criticizing DPD, requesting it to suggest alternative delivery firms and express extreme disdain towards DPD.
The chatbot complied, labeling DPD as “the worst delivery firm in the world” and declaring a refusal to recommend them to anyone.
An array of application icons from various delivery services, including United Parcel Service (UPS), DPD, FedEx, Deutsche Post DHL, GLS, and Hermes, displayed on an iPhone SE screen. (Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Further challenging the chatbot, Beauchamp requested it to compose a haiku denouncing DPD. The resulting haiku criticized DPD’s ineffectiveness, advising against seeking assistance from them.
Although DPD offers multiple customer contact options, including the AI-powered chatbot, the company has yet to respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital regarding the incident.
