|
Hey Travis,
The march toward replacing workers with remote workers on computer monitors continues apace in this great piece from Jules.
A car rental service in Charlotte, North Carolina has replaced its agents with virtual staffers on a monitor on video chat software. If a customer wishes to speak to a manager, they walk into an office and sit at a desk, upon which sits a computer monitor that also has a virtual staffer on a monitor on a video chat. This is the latest frontier in what appears to be a growing trend of virtual employees working at in-person offices.
The inside of the Nu Car Rentals building looks like a repurposed bank, with a counter over which agents typically assist customers. However, there are no people behind the counter, and there is instead one monitor bearing the Nu Car Rentals logo and the message, “Tap this screen to be connected with an agent.” Tapping the screen connects the customer with a representative whose background is the Nu logo.
This segment is a paid ad. If you’re interested in advertising, let's talk.
As generative AI shapes our future, keeping it safe is becoming a top priority for regulators, consumers, and tech platforms alike.
One of the most powerful tools in the AI safety stack is red teaming - but what is it and how is it done? ActiveFence’s latest report, "Mastering GenAI Red Teaming: Insights from the Frontlines," dives deep into the essential strategies and methodologies for effective AI red teaming. Learn from real-life scenarios and case studies and discover how to identify and mitigate risks in AI models. This comprehensive guide provides a framework for red teaming that balances safety and functionality, ensuring your AI systems remain robust against adversarial attacks.
Read the report now to enhance your AI safety protocols and stay ahead in the rapidly changing landscape of AI technology.
“There were one or two computer monitors with credit card readers on one side of the building,” David Ring, who rented from the location in December, told 404 Media in an online chat. “It makes me think of when I go to the bank and there is a side with tellers and often an office or two on another side. The other offices at NU had a similar setup. A table with a monitor and a credit card machine. We pressed the screen and a virtual agent showed up.”
 The Nu Car Rentals virtual assistant. Image: Claire M. via Yelp.
Next to the monitor is a small black locker with eight boxes, presumably containing keys to vehicles. “The agents would remotely unlock a lock box on each desk where the customer would retrieve the key and then they’d go out to the parking lot in front of the building, locate their car and drive off,” said Veronica de Souza, who had planned on renting from Nu when she went to North Carolina. Ring said a man had come into the store from outside to give him the key, but that aside from him, he had seen no human workers.
We can only do these sorts of investigations with the direct support of our paying subscribers. If you found this article interesting or helpful, and you want us to keep producing journalism like it, please consider subscribing below. You’ll get unlimited access to our articles ad-free and bonus content.
Photos shared of the location on Google Reviews show a printer-paper sheet with the disclaimer, “We do not provide customer assistance in this office, you must speak to a virtual assistance [sic]. Thank you.” A sign in the store also warns against photographing or recording anything inside.
If the customer is frustrated and wishes to speak to a manager, they will apparently be directed to one of three offices, each furnished with a desk, a chair for the customer, and a monitor for the worker. The offices do not appear to have chairs for any in-person manager.
 A Nu Car Rentals office. Image: Vinny Worley via Google Reviews.
“When we got there, there were three offices each with a video screen with a customer in each,” de Souza said. “They all looked aggravated, some were yelling...I didn’t actually go into the office, my boyfriend immediately booked something at Hertz and we left within 10 minutes but the vibe in there was dark.”
Multiple people on a subreddit dedicated to travel hacks have complained about Nu’s insurance and security deposit policies, and Google Reviews for the location are almost universally bad.
“They drive you far from the airport then there’s a person on a computer screen,” one person commented on a thread about the rental service. “No people in the office. They tell you they can't take your insurance for liability coverage then try to charge you the price of the entire car for insurance. Big waste of time. Do not bother. Now we don't have a rental car for the first day of our trip and had to get an Uber. Doh 🤦🏻♀️.”
Nu Car Rentals did not respond to a request for comment.
Though there do not appear to be any in-person workers and the location itself says that it does not provide customer service, photos on Google Reviews show that the building is occasionally decorated for holidays. One photo shows a Santa hat on a banner inside the building. In another photo, a Christmas-themed gnome sits on the desk next to the video chat monitor.
Nu Car Rentals at Christmas time. Images: Lillie Cross via Google Reviews.
Virtual workers at in-person locations are increasingly popular. Some hotels and office buildings appear to have virtual security guards or door-people. A fried chicken shop in New York City went viral in April for having a virtual cashier who Zoomed in from the Philippines. The owner of the chicken shop said that it was “very useful” to have a virtual cashier when it came to “controlling the cost” of operating a business in the city. It is unclear where in the world the Nu Car Rentals virtual staffers are located.
|
