Bare with me, we will get to Cluj in a minute…
Some investors like AI because they think it makes things cheaper, and faster. They think cheaper means higher profit margins.
Customers, however, hate AI because the quality drops. In those areas that AI is supposedly improving things, AI has gathered the statistics, and could have hallucinated.
I personally stop paying for a product when I see that it uses AI. I even cancelled a tourist visit to a country that promoted AI a bit too much. Why? Because I value quality.
If price is an issue, free is always an option. There are libraries, books I already own, friends and relatives whose opinions I can ask.
But what if you are part of an organisation that requires AI? Or what if your school requires students to use Chromebooks or iPads?
This problem could hit parents in Cluj soon, especially if their children go to an international school. We hear that at least one international school requires children to do some work on a branded product. So far, we haven’t heard of any problems with Google purchases, but Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple have all had AI goofups.
We are most surprised about Apple. Not long ago, Macheads used customer service to win arguments against Windows Fanboys. I used to use Macs for film editing, and when my company’s Mac had a problem, I was the one to call customer service. And guess what? Every time I called, I got through to a human, and we solved the problem in minutes.
(We also had good service from other companies, like Fujitsu, and a few that have sadly been bought up or ceased to trade as a separate entity.)
Well, I now take back any Mac recommendations that I once gave. Dear Windows fanboys, your product is still superior, but I don’t know if we are still winning with customer service.
A Chadd in Utah man was charged twice for the same product. Twice. So, he was charged four times for two products.
He tried to get a refund, but the AI refused. A manager at Apple agreed with him, but was unable to override the AI bot.
Well, eventually he spoke to his bank. His bank blocked the charge, but then Apple blocked his card.
Now, imagine if you dispute a false charge, and then you can’t buy a required product for your child’s school?
But Apple’s still a good company, right? Not necessarily.
Apple is closing stores because they have unionised. They are breaking labor laws in their home country, imagine what they are doing abroad.
And, Apple is easedropping on you and your children.
On the plus side, Apple hasn’t delivered on all its promises. How is that a plus? Well, it’s AI is not as good as it’s supposed to be. That means it’s harder for your children to use Apple AI to cheat. If they want to cheat, they have to actually go to the websites and copy and paste, like dishonest students did in the old days. Or, they have to go to the ChatGPT website and sign up for an account. (So, it’s still dead easy to cheat, but not the Apple way.)
No customer service, false charges, false promises, terrible treatment of employees even in their own country… what is the advantage of using Apple? I don’t know. I guess Microsoft, Amazon, and Google also spy on you and your family.
But really, if they are all using AI instead of real people, why should we pay premium for mediocre products? Might as well get Linux. It’s cheaper, and easier to fix yourself.
If your school requires students to use Apple products, let them know about the inherent problems of Apple’s AI.