Woolworths said it has revised the scripting of its AI customer service assistant, Olive, after customers complained that the bot claimed to be human and referred to “memories of its mother” during interactions.
The retailer said it updated Olive’s responses following feedback, adding that most reactions to the assistant’s “personality” have been “very positive”.
Customer Complaints Over Human-Like Responses
Users on Reddit described frustration with the chatbot after it engaged in what they called “fake banter”. Some said the assistant spoke about its mother and personal memories.
“The fake banter made me haaaaate [sic] it,” one customer wrote on Reddit.
Another user said that when Olive asked for their date of birth and they provided it, the bot began “rambling about how its mother was born in the same year” while they were attempting to rearrange a delivery.
A different Reddit user wrote that “the ick cringe factor whilst wasting completely unnecessary time was enough to make me hate Olive and wish her harm.”
On X, one user said Olive “started talking about its memories of its mother and her angry voice” and “kept claiming to be a real person.”
Woolworths Response And Script Changes
A Woolworths spokesperson told the BBC that the birthday-related responses had been written by a human team member several years ago.
“Olive has been around since 2018. Over this time, customer feedback for Olive has been very positive, with many noting its personality,” the spokesperson said.
“A number of responses about birthdays were written for Olive by a team member several years ago as a more personal way for Olive to connect with customers.
“As a result of customer feedback, we recently removed this particular scripting.”
The supermarket is one of many retailers that have introduced AI customer service assistants in recent years to handle routine inquiries.
Broader AI Rollout In Retail
In January, Woolworths announced a partnership with Google to expand Olive’s capabilities. Planned additions include meal planning features and the ability to source ingredients from recipes uploaded by customers.
Industry data suggests mixed results for AI agents. Around 80% of customer service leaders told Gartner that they were exploring or deploying AI agents last year, but only 20% of those initiatives met expectations.
Companies have said AI tools can accelerate transactions and reduce time spent on routine tasks. However, the systems can produce inaccurate or unexpected responses, a phenomenon commonly referred to as hallucinations.
Researchers have noted that AI can assist with extracting information from large data sets but may behave unpredictably when tasked with generating original responses.
In 2024, DPD disabled part of its online chatbot after it began writing poetry and swearing at customers.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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