Chinese local government apologises and blames artificial intelligence after insulting teacher on WeChat
Query about unequal pay had drawn mocking responses, provoking an internet backlash
A local government in eastern China has blamed an artificial intelligence program for insulting messages sent from its official WeChat platform to a teacher asking for help, according to a newspaper report.
The woman, identified only by the nickname “Xiao Lin” submitted a complaint about unequal pay to authorities in Guichi district, Anhui province, on Wednesday, China Youth Daily reported on Monday.
The replies she received read: “If you don’t speak, nobody will think you’re dumb” and “I keep hearing the sound of mosquitoes”.
Xiao Lin was outraged and posted screenshots of the conversation to social media, which swiftly went viral.
The following day, she received a phone call from a representative of the messaging service, who attributed the comments to a “system error” and asked her to help them “clear up” the matter, according to a report published on Saturday by Xinan Evening News.