A curious case of customer support gone wrong has sparked debate in the tech industry. The CEO of a note-taking app company, Obsidian, recently shared an incident where a user from a well-known video game studio, Obsidian Entertainment, encountered a peculiar issue with their two-factor authentication (2FA) system. The user was trying to provide feedback on the game Outer Worlds 2, but their support request was mishandled, leading to a potential breach of customer data.
The story began when the Obsidian Entertainment support team sent an email to a user, instructing them to contact the 'specialized account security team' for assistance with their 2FA issue. However, the email provided the support address for the wrong Obsidian company, leading to confusion and concern. The CEO, Steph Ango, believes that the email and its incorrect address were AI-generated, raising questions about the reliability of AI support software.
Ango's post on X highlighted the potential dangers of relying solely on AI for customer support. He suggested that if the AI's reward function is to reduce the number of support touches, this could be a consequence. The incident also brought attention to the possibility of users inadvertently sharing personal data with the wrong recipient to prove account ownership.
This incident is not an isolated case. Other companies, such as Have I Been Pwned and Microsoft, have faced similar challenges with AI support systems. The Register's coverage of these incidents has shed light on the potential pitfalls of AI integration in customer support. As the tech landscape continues to evolve, finding the right balance between automation and human oversight is crucial to ensuring a positive customer experience.
