Tag: Scams

Is it just me? I hope it’s not just me.

Even at the risk of being viewed as a fool, I am going to be very honest here: All of these phishing scams, as well as the changes and advancements concerning AI….all of it is beginning to overwhelm and frighten me. Laugh if you want to. It becomes increasingly difficult to get a human being on the phone, or to chat with a real person via messenger when you need help. Automated assistants with awful robotic voices take over and often times are entertaining at best, but not the least bit helpful. I want to “dial zero for the operator”, please. Nope, nothing. You make friends with these AI assistants all across the board, or you’re done. Well, so it seems to me.
When receiving Emails or text messages from your bank or another service like PayPal or DHL, you have to jump through hoops first, to make sure it was indeed sent from them, rather than being a scam. Never mind those calls, where they tell you a horrifying story and pressure you into paying lots of money, or placing your jewelry somewhere outside, easily accessible for the scammers. And don’t even get me started about all of that horrendous junk mail. As far as I know, selling Email addresses without consent is illegal in Germany. Do people care? Oh goodness no. If there’s money to be made…whatever…you just don’t get caught.

What the fluff is this world coming to? More and more often I would love to just grab a sledgehammer and beat the living daylights out of all of these electronic devices…cell phone…tablet…desktop PC…smart watches…laptop…and whatever else there may be. And don’t we know it? All of these “technical advancements” are going to bring us to our knees, before we have any chance of these robotic voices and clueless AI assistants disappearing again. Or at least, until the techies among us find a way to rein in the crazy before it gets, dare I say it, way out of control? Overly dramatic? Go right ahead and think that. I’m not the only one who feels this way, or am I?
PS: I explicitly don’t deny, that AI has its positives as well. For instance in the field of medicine, AI can be helpful. I am not against advancements, as long as they are good. But all the negative aspects of it are worrisome and increasingly overwhelming – to me, anyway.