Intelligent virtual helpers whittle away at human jobs

When Royal Bank of Scotland introduced an online chatbot to the public in 2016, executives were keen to present the technology as an aid for hard-pressed call-centre agents. But it was clear the chatbot's powers would grow and perhaps, in time, could come to rival those of its human colleagues. Artificial intelligence, RBS said, lets the chatbot -- first named Luvo but now called Assist -- handle routine web chat requests from clients, such as queries about address changes or asking for a bank card to be authorised. This would free human advisers to help customers with more complex questions. The initial trial that began in December has been limited to 10 per cent of RBS customers in Scotland who use web chat to communicate with the bank.