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Google Tries To Guess Your Email Responses (blogspot.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Google's research blog today announced a new feature for their Inbox email app: a neural network that composes short responses to emails you receive. For example, if somebody emails you an invitation to an event, the app will detect that by scanning the words in the message and present you with three options for a quick response. Google says, "A naive attempt to build a response generation system might depend on hand-crafted rules for common reply scenarios. But in practice, any engineer's ability to invent 'rules' would be quickly outstripped by the tremendous diversity with which real people communicate. A machine-learned system, by contrast, implicitly captures diverse situations, writing styles, and tones. These systems generalize better, and handle completely new inputs more gracefully than brittle, rule-based systems ever could." Of course, you can skip them entirely, or use them and add your own words as well. How long until our email systems do most of our talking for us?
So basically, Google is pushing to completely remove me and replace me with a tiny script. :(
The neural networks could just bounce messages back and forth, we don't need people actually reading them. This reminds me the bureaucracy of the state apparatus where offices exist just for the sake of other offices having work to do. If the problem that this is trying to solve is that people are getting too many emails they need to respond to then they should reduce that amount instead of automating responses.
How long could you ping pong a dialog between 2 Gmail accounts?
It will save tons of time on all those repetitive replies like "Mmm, that would feel so good baby," and "Then I'd flip you over and do the same to you until you screamed with pleasure." I've been getting really bogged down with that type of thing lately.
So all conversations will sound like someone playing Eliza far too long?
Its like the daily show's "Senior blahblah Analyst" where blahblah = the subject at hand, whether it's "elections" or "toilet cleaning".
Make sure everyone's vote counts: Verified Voting
You know a company is out of ideas when they reinvent Clippy.
Next up, scripted responses will be responding to each other while we stay back and watch ;)
...and then they start talking about how much bandwidth and available power these "humans" are consuming...
so they start emailing the cars about all the time wasted transporting these "humans" all over the place.
I'm going to go buy a bicycle... one that goes off road...
You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
You say that as if Google isn't already reading all of our mail to begin with.
Next up, scripted responses will be responding to each other while we stay back and watch ;)
Skynet, here we come...
If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
Echo... echo...
"Thank you", Google. If you do this, do not forget to implement the shibboleet escape option. It's bad enough that people don't make simple typos anymore but "autocomplete" to completely different words than they intended to type. Or that first level support only scans for keywords and answers with unfitting FAQ responses. I'll blacklist everyone whom I catch sending me autoreplies. I will not be autoreplied to!
We at Google understand your concern and a customer service representative will be available soon to help you adjust to changes in our services.
CSR reply alert 22327
You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
Next up, scripted responses will be responding to each other while we stay back and watch ;)
I've fantasized about this. Imagine a world where every email you flag as spam has an auto-generated reply returned to the sender. The spammers could have a whole conversation with your chat bot. I wonder how many messages back-and-forth it would take for them to realize there's no one on the other end. The value of spam would plummet, because you'd have no easy way to sift through the millions of fake responses to find the real ones.
Mmmm...
Why the ego? Just say "research scientist".
Because "Research Scientist" and "Senior Research Scientist" (like, "Director" and "Senior Director" or "Vice President" and "Senior Vice President") are distinct job grades.
This is literally how the book Avogadro Corp starts. Singularity ensues. http://amzn.com/0984755705?tag=synack-20
> Can you imagine using an autogenerated response in a conversation with your boss? Just saves some typing, right? No?
All the time, and I -wished- people who worked for me would have done so, to make the "same" response more consistent and save time for both of us. Customers also particularly appreciate one of my "mental autoresponses" (explained below).
Microsoft Lync has macros I used to use all the time, so I'd type "omw" and it would auto-expand to "on my way". Simpler for both sender and reader than "As requested, I am now leaving and will be there shortly."
For the most common messages, we'd actually do the automatic template expansion mentally. Rather than actually selecting the template response, we'd just reference it. I'd reply to many emails with just "Done." Which is effectively a template for "The below-referenced task has been completed as requested." We would frequently meet at a particular location on the first floor (our offices were on the second). The first few times we'd say "Shall we meet downstairs?" Which was soon abbreviated to "down?", which then became "d?". Saving typing is good.
I found customers really like the "implied template" response of "Done." when a requested task has been completed quickly. They email "Can you pelase... blah blah blah ....", two minutes later they get the reply "Done." SO much different and better than the endless stream of excuses and questions they get from other companies. You asked, it's done, period. Next?
Just let the neural network send and reply to e-mails. I never even have to LOOK at my e-mail ever again!
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
Its like the daily show's "Senior blahblah Analyst" where blahblah = the subject at hand, whether it's "elections" or "toilet cleaning".
That's the way it works.
-JustAnotherOldGuy (Senior Porn Analyst)
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
Yeah.... I don't think so.
If anything, the spammer now knows this is a valid and active e-mail account. Your spam volume will go up and up if you reply in any way.
Besides, all spammers spoof the sending address anyway so the back scatter you create would be, itself, spam.
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
If the algorithm isn't any better than Google's filter bubble for Google News, it will be completely laughable.
Proverbs 21:19
I stopped using that app, in addition while they are "auto answering" for you, and you are vetting the answer what you're really doing is "tuning" their software response for free.
In other words as their software interprets your email, you are validating the automated response for them.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
Unfortunately, I know of no spam emails that don't forge the from address. If you actually got a working address, very likely you would be emailing someone who had nothing to do with the message.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Yeah, I loved that scene when the protagonist sends people a link that goes to a 403 forbidden page.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
I ignore most of my emails, so good luck, Google.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Unfortunately, I know of no spam emails that don't forge the from address.
I know lots of them. I bought something once from Walmart online and now I get spam from them. I once bought something from GearBest and I'm now on their endless spam list. The number of companies that think "he gave us an email address because we forced him to, with the excuse it was for sending him tracking info on his shipment, so we can now send every bit of advertising we can think of to him" is uncountable.
I agree it's efficient and fun to come up with special shortcuts with individual people. It's a way to forge a unique relationship with a unique person. It's kind of fun to come up with the rules together, or watch the process unfold on its own.
But I don't like the idea of a machine learning algorithm trying to figure this out for me and apply it across a broad spectrum of people. That feels...kind of gross, and all the fun of forming personal idiosyncrasies with individual people is taken right out.
Exactly. This idea is uncannily similar to that story's plot. Next idea is for a plug-in that rewords your email to make it more persuasive.
If anything, the spammer now knows this is a valid and active e-mail account.
That's why we all have to turn on our auto-responses together, and at the same time. Plus, bonus points if Google detects a spam message directed to an invalid gmail address, and crafts a response automatically.
Someone else said: Unfortunately, I know of no spam emails that don't forge the from address. If you actually got a working address, very likely you would be emailing someone who had nothing to do with the message.
Disturbing! I've never tried responding, but I've seen addresses like GrrlsHotForYou@atotalscam.com. I suppose they want you to click on a link these days? I imagine your email client could auto-click on the link, but then the spammers could just add a captcha... Which is ironic in its own way.
Would you prefer if I were not concerned about your problems?
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Nigerian scams, certainly. But lots of spam is attempting to get you to buy something online, or compromise your PC in some way. Plus of course, there's the problem of spoofed from addresses causing unintended damage to 3rd parties.
09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
Your machine email mine and they can do lunch....
Rick B.
I certainly see where you're coming from. On the other hand, most of the time that I see an email come in on my phone I'm not THAT interested in building a special bond with the person, and it might be handy to immediately respond with a couple of taps at the next stop light. So I'm not sure myself. I'll try it and see.
Oh, dear, was that reply rude? It was just Google, I just clicked send without reading it... Actually, I love your wardrobe... No, I think you're a great boss... Did I really say that? I'll turn Google's suggestions off right away, and no, I have no idea how it knew you were mildly obese. I'm terribly sorry.
GMAIL / EMAIL (except in business environment) is more or less on the way of dodo. I am looking at my INBOX and most emails are from service providers like banks, utilities etc. not friends / family which has migrated to some sort of social media / messaging platform.
Facebook made the right call in buying Whatsapp. For all its smarts, self driving cars, robots, AI and what not Zuckerberg has an edge over Brin and his cohorts when it comes to interpersonal communication between human beings.
Tat Tvam Asi
This is exactly what I came here for. The global AI started out as a tool exactly like this, for a company exactly like google.
Tired of fucking things up with predictive text? Try new Google Predictive Email the total cockuperator!
Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.
Could you have constructed a more ridiculous Slippery Slope fallacy? Let's try:
Google Health: What's next, Google Death Camps?
Google Translate: What's next, mandatory voice implants?
Google Wallet: What's next, the overthrow of capitalism?
Project Loon: What's next, orbital mind control platforms?
Google Doodles: What's next, Lovecraftian horrors, the very sight of which induces madness?!
Hmm, not quite zany enough. Oooh, I know!
Google's self-driving car: What's next, Google Sex Bots?!
(And the answer is, "Yes please!")
Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
I was noticing that my phone started sending out texts without my knowledge because it somehow detected a swipe or two or something. I found a setting for automated texts and tried deleting all the potential responses, but it happened again afterward. I can't find a setting to turn such things completely off.
That is the very definition of not spam. You have an actual commercial dealing with the company, and you very likely gave them permission to send you email. At the bottom of those emails is an unsubscribe link.
Spam is non solicited commercial email, if you have a relationship with the company, it is by definition not spam.
Very likely there was a defaulted checked box that said "we can send you email" there was also likely a box for "our third party buddies can send you email" and you left them checked.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
That is the very definition of not spam. You have an actual commercial dealing with the company
It is the very definition of spam. Unsolicited commercial bulk email.
and you very likely gave them permission to send you email.
At no time did I give them permission to send me UCE. Not once. Each first appearance nets them an explicit "send nothing further here", so even any pretense you can create that has me giving them permission is unwound by that followup. I have yet to find one that stops when told to.
At the bottom of those emails is an unsubscribe link.
A very convenient link NOT at the bottom, which means you have to read through the email to find it, and then most times it does absolutely NOTHING when you access it. Such as GearBest's link which results in nothing but a blank page. Or Walmart's, which as I recall lets you opt out and then continues to send spam long after multiple opt-outs.
And in the case of GearBest, their email is malformed to begin with and I must search through raw HTML to find any link before I can waste my time accessing it. Many such spammers send HTML email that is malformed like that, or malformed enough that I get to see the HTML source. Such fun.
The fact that you think that having an "unsubscribe" link is sufficient to justify unsolicited commercial email spews is fascinating.
Spam is non solicited commercial email,
I know that. Don't tell me the obvious.
if you have a relationship with the company, it is by definition not spam.
That is a lie. Having a "commercial relationship" with a company does not grant them permission to send unsolicited bulk commercial advertising to your email address.
Very likely there was a defaulted checked box that said "we can send you email"
Sometimes, and all times it is unchecked prior to proceeding. Are you trying to claim that because they showed me a pre-selected opt-in menu item that they can spam me ceaselessly forever even when that item is subsequently de-selected? That's pathetic.
there was also likely a box for "our third party buddies can send you email" and you left them checked.
You are wrong. My response was to the statement that no spammers use a real address in their email, and I have proof of the opposite. Whatever guesses you want to make to justify the spam or make it my fault are just a waste of time. If you've never come across a company that takes an email address as part of a one-time transaction and then starts spamming it, that's nice for you. I've seen it a lot of times, and other people have too. That's why there are systems like "hourmail", I think it was, that someone else referred to. People don't need solutions to problems that don't exist.
which is why you give a hourmail address for shipment tracking.
Yes, there are several services that can be used to avoid the problem, but the claim was that no spammer uses a real address, and that claim is just patently absurd. Which is more than proven by the need to have services like hourmail, yes?
Google: Would you like us to read your email and generate automatic responses?
Me: Go fuck yourself.
Google: I knew you were going to say that.
Its like the daily show's "Senior blahblah Analyst" where blahblah = the subject at hand, whether it's "elections" or "toilet cleaning".
They actually took that verbatim from news agencies. Have you ever watched "real" news? There's always the 'Local school female extramural involvement expert', and it almost always means that they maybe wrote a book that contained at least 2 words of intersect with the news title.