Annoying (Not So) Intelligent Agents Move To Mobile Phones

from the it-looks-like-you're-trying-to-make-a-phone-call... dept

It seems like every few years, someone gets the bright idea that what people really want is some sort of autonomous "intelligent" agent with a personality who can assist them in their daily lives. Then, of course, they realize that's not what people want at all. Usually, the intelligent agents don't work very well, but even when they do... people tend to find them more annoying than helpful. Remember Microsoft's talking paperclip? So, it's unclear why anyone really wants the same sort of thing on their mobile phone, but SK Telecom is betting on it by launching little characters with personality that will interface with users, taking over the common UI that most users are increasingly comfortable with.