My Finger Hurts From Pressing That Button All Day

For the first time, I had to call the Social Security Office.  My local was busy for 20 minutes, so I called the national toll-free number.  When I was a kid, I thought having a computer that could answer the phone would be the coolest thing ever.  Of course, the examples I had for possibilities were Johnny-5 and Max Headroom.  The thing that answered my call today was not funny or helpful.

"I'm sorry.  I didn't understand your request.  Maybe we can try this another way."

Somehow, that line has become something loathsome.  Most likely because it isn't understanding anything.  I appreciate that offices at my local mall have phones that politely ask me what department I would like to reach, but the complexities that usually come with the need to call a bureaucracy like Social Security in the first place probably don't fit into current voice recognition algorithms.  "I'm sorry...."  Back in the day, that was recognized as a SYNTAX ERROR.  I'd almost prefer that ... or a real person.

"Our jobs are going overseas"?  Maybe.  Or maybe like the welding robots on an assembly line, we're slowly replacing ourselves.  How long before we're like The Jetsons, only pushing the button for the computer to do our jobs?