Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
Kinney Drugs is reverting to a touch-tone phone system after their AI assistant, Burt, caused customer frustration due to errors and privacy concerns. The company will limit AI use to opt-in text communications.
Why it matters
Illustrates the risks of deploying AI in sensitive customer-facing roles like healthcare and the importance of human-in-the-loop systems.
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Kinney Drugs is scaling back its AI assistant after customers reported incoherent calls, wrong dosages, and missed prescription notifications.
Kinney Drugs first introduced Burt, an AI assistant named after the pharmacy chain’s founder, back in May. The bot’s role was to communicate with patients about prescriptions and refills. But customers quickly reported a number of issues with the tech, as first reported by VTDigger.
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