Knowing the Limits of Machines

Some jobs really must be automated; others need the human touch. Which are which? That’s your call.

 

- Geoff Colvin

WHEN STOCK MARKETS plunged early this year, managers at USAA’s investments division noticed something odd. Customers who routinely conducted business online were suddenly lighting up the phones. USAA had nothing new to tell them—its fundamental advice hadn’t changed, and they could have found that guidance online. Yet clients deeply wanted to talk to a real human being, and never mind why. They just did.