ChatGPT Helps Woman Communicate With Airline After Experiencing Delays
Cherie Luo, a frustrated flyer, asked ChatGPT to write a polite yet firm email to an airline, and the letter was executed perfectly.
ChatGPT is a general-purpose, chatbot prototype that has been taking the internet by storm since its launch last November. A short video made by a dissatisfied airline passenger has gone viral for showcasing the power of AI communication. ChatGPT took her request for a “powerful but firm” email and did a remarkably good job of capturing the nuances of speech made by a person who feels frustrated.
Cherie Luo posted the video last December after she experienced a six-hour flight delay. It shows the text of the email coupled with audio stating that it was better than she could have written herself. Although she first shared the video two months ago, it has gained traction and now has over 2.6 million views.
Luo’s full request to ChatGPT read: “Write a polite but passively aggressive and firm email to an airline. My flight was delayed by 6 hours with no updates while we were at the airport. The priority pass lounge did not admit us even after we waited for over 3 hours on their waitlist.”
ChatGPT addressed each aspect of her request and added a dose of optimism that the airline might improve its handling of flight delays and lounge access in the future. It’s not clear what airline was involved in Luo’s delay. The video also doesn’t mention where she was flying from or her destination.
Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed around the December holidays due to weather and other problems. Given the December 21 date on the video, Luo was likely one of the thousands of people affected by the airline service breakdowns. One humorous comment pointed out that the airline would probably use ChatGPT to reply to Luo’s email.
“I am writing to express my extreme frustration and disappointment with the experience I had on my recent flight with your airline,” the ChatGPT email began. “Firstly, my flight was significantly delayed by six hours with no updates or communication from your staff while we were at the airport. This caused a great deal of inconvenience and stress for myself and my fellow travelers as we were left in the dark about what was going on and when we would be able to leave.”
The AI bot included a line about how Luo’s priority pass member status did nothing to allow her access to the lounge, then expressed empathy over how unforeseen circumstances can cause delays. It went on to state that the lack of communication was completely unacceptable. ChatGPT also said that Luo expected “better from an airline of your caliber.”
Luo’s Instagram post caption read, “This is the future. What jobs will be replaced by Chat GPT?” Many of the comments shared her concern over this new future where bots speak for us and to us on a regular basis.
AI chatbots like ChatGPT are popping up all over the globe and receiving a mixed response. Teachers and professors are rightly concerned that students may use the technology to write their papers for them. Businesses are concerned that their marketing teams will use AI instead of creating original content for their websites and advertising.
ChatGPT is earning a reputation for being the smartest bot on the internet because it has features that make it stand out from its competitors. It is able to process natural language prompts and provide answers that read like actual human conversations. Of course, it isn’t fully able to replace human intelligence or the subtleties that flow in human-generated conversation, but its abilities outshine other currently available AI tools.
For example, ChatGPT remembers what users said earlier in a conversation, and allows users to provide follow-up corrections. However, it may also generate incorrect information, or provide conflicting information within the same conversation. Even with these limitations, Luo’s experience proves that ChatGPT is quickly becoming a valid way to speak up for yourself—without actually saying it yourself.
