One of the most frustrating little experiences you can have nowadays is calling a company's helpline and being forced to interact with one of those automated phone agent simulators. Truly a vision of bureaucratic techno-hell the entire thing is a maze of trying to find the right prompts that let you talk to a real human.

Writer, podcaster, and commentator on foreign affairs and politics. Runs /dropglobalnews

Clanker Broadcasting Service /cbs

the art of the human touch has been lost in all this race to automate fr