Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
Even though AI seems to be invading every aspect of our lives, from our everyday Google searches to shopping online, rarely is it ever useful. It’s more often than not woefully inaccurate and extremely unhelpful, especially when you can easily just read or search for something yourself in a fraction of the time. It’s also apparently incapable of answering the most basic questions about Minecraft.
In case you missed it, Mojang recently implemented its own AI chatbot onto the Help section of its website, dubbing it the “Minecraft Support Virtual Agent”. This unhelpful lady is called Merl, and is theoretically supposed to answer every and any question you have about Minecraft, whether that be how to craft something, or how to deal with pesky mobs.
Unfortunately for Mojang, Merl doesn’t seem to be up to the tasks that it’s been given. A new video from popular Minecraft YouTuber PhoenixSC has really showcased just how bad Merl is at answering basic questions, as it initially refuses to tell PhoenixSC how to kill a Creeper, because the word ‘kill’ is apparently a naughty word and shouldn’t be spoken. Great start.
When PhoenixSC asks Merl how to defeat a Creeper, it comes back with some pretty standard tactics, but also warns players to watch out for its “Green Lightning” which doesn’t exist. It then proceeds to tell PhoenixSC that it doesn’t know the answers to almost every question they ask, including what the name of the latest Minecraft update is, as well as standard Minecraft items. It also apparently thinks the word ‘minecart’ is a swear.
What with me being an extremely skeptical person and a diligent journalist, I dived into Minecraft’s Help page to see if Merl was truly as bad as PhoenixSC made it out to be, and it was somehow even worse for me. When I asked it how to kill a skeleton, I got the same naughty word warning that PhoenixSC did, but when I asked how to defeat a skeleton, the entire thing shut down.
I refreshed the page, asked again, and it responded that it didn’t understand the question. I then asked if Merl knew what I had to do to open a Nether Portal, and after a very long time waiting, the entire thing shut down again. Not only is it not helpful, any answer that it does get correct takes so long to appear that you could just Google it and be on your way in a fraction of the time. Maybe it’s time to take Merl out back and stop cramming AI into places it doesn’t belong, eh Mojang?
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