LinkedIn Smart Replies Automate Small Talk

• First came the text message. It all but eliminated the casual phone call. Then came autocorrect. When it works, we can misspell every word in the English language and not embarrass ourselves.

  Now LinkedIn has taken autocorrect to a whole other level by launching a feature called Smart Replies. It actually writes your messages for you. In case you get stuck or you're in a hurry, LinkedIn jumps in with some machine learning to bail you out. While it could be useful, generating a contextual message like “Sounds good!” feels like a flagrant waste of advanced technology.

  Chatbots have become popular in recent years, but I never thought they'd supplement the human side of the conversation. It was bad enough when they replaced basic form fields to capture user data. Forms were a much clearer way to enter information into a computer than texting critical user data to an imaginary friend. Now we’re relying on chat automation to create small talk for us.

  While spellcheck is useful, it’s disconcerting that we have to rely on LinkedIn to tell us what to say. Like Cyrano de Bergerac crouched in the bushes, LinkedIn is there to feed us sweet nothings. It makes you wonder how long it will be until humans become totally redundant.

  LinkedIn’s new feature works exactly as you would expect. If someone asks, “How are you?” You're given your choice of “Good,” “Fine,” and “Great, thanks!” The replies are so simple that you might as well type them. You still have to write out the detailed responses that require focus.

  The most sophisticated response in the promo video asks, "What time?" Again, I think we can manage the two syllables on our own. Sure this could evolve into something more sophisticated and valuable, but not for awhile.

AUTHOR

Adriaan Heimans
Full time editor and wannabe filmmaker living in New York. A video game geek, pizza addict and a hockey lover, Adriaan moved away from Overijssel, Netherlands and started Daily Time News back in 2012.
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