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Situations like this are all I can think of when considering offloading more and more work to machines. I am all for automation, and maybe it is the lesser of two evils, but there is a certain human problem solving/reasoning element that desperately needs to be figured out.

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Garbage in/Garbage out. The problem isn't automation, unless you're suggesting a hueristic in the Comcast ticket system that flags requests for review if the same invalid requests keeps getting submitted every few days with only an increase in the amount of profanity.

Yes, but IMO the point is that average humans are still much better "garbage detectors and cleaners" (or general-purpose problem-solvers, really) than automated systems are going to be for the foreseeable future.

Any non-trivial bureaucracy will develop these degenerate use cases, with or without automation. It's a matter of will, not available neurons that could solve the problem if properly motivated.

If the story's author files a complaint with the FCC or the municipal cable-governing entity, this problem will be fixed rather quickly.

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