Training My Replacement: The Call Center and A.I. Battle

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Chatbots and other forms of artificial intelligence (A.I.) have long been seen as a looming threat to many jobs. However, for some workers, that threat is already a reality. Ylonda Sherrod, a customer service representative at AT&T’s call center in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, is one such worker who has experienced the impact of A.I.
As Sherrod drove to work one day, she listened to a radio show discussing artificial intelligence. The hosts questioned whether A.I. could replace human workers. This conversation left Sherrod feeling unsettled and concerned about her own job security. Upon arriving at the call center, she shared the radio exchange with a colleague, who echoed her fears of her.

Over the past year, A.I. has rapidly integrated into the call center’s operations. The customer service representatives no longer need to take their own notes during customer calls. Instead, an A.I. tool generates a transcript for their managers to review later. AI. technology also provides suggestions for customer interactions, and simple queries are redirected to automated systems, with only complex issues being handled by human representatives.

Sherrod, who is also a vice president of the call center’s local union chapter, started asking AT&T managers about the potential impact of A.I. on their jobs. She worried about being replaced and what it would mean for her family’s financial stability. These concerns are not unique to Sherrod; Many call center workers are anxious about the increasing automation of their roles.

Automation tends to target repetitive tasks, making customer service jobs particularly vulnerable. It is estimated that there are approximately three million customer service jobs in the United States, many of which have already been outsourced to other countries. A majority of U.S. Call center workers surveyed this year reported that their jobs were being automated to some extent, with two-thirds of them believing that increased use of A.I. would lead to job layoffs in the next two years.

While some technology executives argue that automation fears have existed for centuries and have been disproven by job creation, the reality is that new jobs often require more specialized skills. This creates a challenge for workers like Sherrod, who have found stable employment without a college degree. The call center industry provided an opportunity for her to make a good living and escape the cycle of financial struggle she experienced growing up.