Gaslighted by AI

This is the new Chipotle AI assistant, called Pepper.

I recently stopped by the nearby Chipotle to pick up an online order. Somewhat unsurprisingly—it’s a common occurrence at this particular Chipotle—the order was not ready on time. I ended up waiting at the counter for another ten minutes past the pickup time as they put by bowl together.

Unsatisfied, I turned to the app to ask Pepper about it. Perhaps I could get a $5 discount for the trouble of waiting? I opened the app, clicked on the button to talk to Chipotle’s AI assistant, and described my experience. “Order was promised at 4:40, not ready until 4:50”. The AI assistant thought for a few seconds, then delivered its verdict—because the order had been picked up on time, there was no issue and the conversation would be closed.

I think this is the first time I have had AI gaslight me. Despite me specifically telling Pepper (why must the assistant have a name?) that the order was not ready when promised, the assistant proceeded to tell me that the order had been prepared and delivered on time.

Maybe this is from an employee at the restaurant back-timing the “order ready” times for the same of keeping metrics (on-time orders, etc) looking good? Even so, I feel like a customer service AI should not be so quick to tell the customer that they were wrong. “The customer is always right” must have been excluded from the training data. Firing the human support staff in favor of an AI that quickly closes customer issues without issuing any refunds probably helps the bottom line… until the customers stop coming.