I just had a horrible experience with an AI agent. I had an interview with an AI and it wasn’t listening.
And I say that as someone who actively helps businesses adopt AI.
The problem wasn’t that the agent was artificial. The problem was that the experience felt completely mechanical.
Yes…it felt like I was talking to a robot – for every awkward minute.
It was obvious the agent had been trained to follow a technical process—and it stayed on script. But it did not understand how people talk at a higher level or give any flair to its persona.
It asked questions.
It recorded answers.
It moved through its script.
But it didn’t quite ‘get it’.
The whole conversation felt like I was entering information into a form that happened to have a voice—completely devoid of context and nuance.
This is an important warning for companies rushing to automate interactions for their customers and peer groups.
If you are going to place an AI agent directly in front of a customer, technical functionality is table stakes.
The agent needs linguistic intelligence.
It needs context.
It needs thoughtful conversational design.
And most importantly, it needs manners.
The agent I was interacting with hung up on me when the conversation hit a wall.
Don’t let this be your brand’s UX.
Don’t Sound Like a Robot
Want to make sure your AI doesn’t become a mechanical ambassador for your brand?
Paid AI Bestie subscribers can download my Don’t Sound Like a Robot Brand Voice Skill—a guided tool that helps you teach AI your brand’s tone, language, conversational style, manners and more.