Vocal Are Not The Only Ones With Issues

Introduction

Vocal is still having issues with the platform, and I have been critical of the rollout, but what they have done is implement changes to what is the best publishing platform for creators. On my Zoom call with Justin and Chris, I found out he had been up to Inverness, where I was a couple of weeks ago, but they gave insights into what they had to deal with.

They have a small team and have to do multiple jobs, and they managed to sort out my Stripe issues, but I am just one person, and I know these three users are still having major issues.

But, believe it or not, this is not about Vocal, as such, but some of the incidents that have happened to me and some friends in recent months.

So What Happened? After All, AI Is Going To Save The World

At work, I keep getting told that AI (in our case, CoPilot) is going to make life so much better.

The problem is that what used to be done by humans with the aid of computers for information and assistance is not being done by AI, and the errors are becoming increasingly worse.

It began with a minor incident at work. The system said I need to change my password, but I had to use an app to do it or get a text sent to my phone. I once tried using the app, and it didn't work, so phone it was. I eventually got it sorted, except the following day it was the same again, and the day after that, and the day after that. Eventually, I contacted a human, and they resolved the issue that the system had caused.

Next was another app that suddenly decided I had forgotten my password and needed to change it when I keyed in my six-digit code. I tried my email and password, which it said it did not recognise, so I went to change my password and changed it to what I knew my password was. It told me I couldn't use my current password (the one it said it didn't recognise). Another system screw-up.

Three weeks ago, I renewed my email provider and paid a big chunk of money for convenience. Since then, they keep telling me they will cut my email if I don't renew it. I am going to have to call a human tomorrow to make sure all this is going to be fine.

Then Amazon decided I had to verify myself (even though I have been publishing through them since I joined Vocal). I gave them my driving licence, but they wouldn't accept it because it had my full name on, instead of the initialled name on my bank account and my shortened middle name on my Amazon account.

After a lot of jiggery pokery, eventually I was verified.

In June, I agreed to a two-year fixed plan for my gas and electricity. They sent a confirmation email with a link to the new plan. Then I got a new email saying the plan would be 15% higher than the one originally agreed. I checked the email, and the link went through to the old plan.

So another phone call, including threats to leave, eventually got the situation resolved, although the person I spoke to wasn't happy with me.

A friend of mine had a similar issue and was told that companies were just installing AI systems that seemed to do whatever they wanted. He got his bill back to what it should be.

Conclusion

Unchecked AI is dangerous, and I keep getting affected by it. We need to be vigilant and push back when these things happen. Maybe Vocal used AI for its update, and this is why there are so many issues. I know they are working hard to get things resolved, but a lot of companies are just installing AI solutions and expecting everything to work unchecked.

The music, of course, is "Wrong" by The Archers Of Loaf