Frustrated GP patients hang up as Yorkshire accent baffles AI receptionist
‘Emma’ the Rotherham chatbot has 17 languages says AI firm – but health watchdog says system struggling with local ‘twangs’ Patients in a South Yorkshire town are frustrated by an AI GP receptionist not understanding their “broad accents”, a health watchdog has said. Healthwatch Rotherham , a local health and social care watchdog, said a number of practices in the area had introduced a new AI…
Patients in Rotherham, a South Yorkshire town, are growing increasingly frustrated with an AI GP receptionist named Emma, as the system struggles to comprehend their local accents, according to Healthwatch Rotherham. The local health and social care watchdog has reported that a number of practices in the area have adopted the AI system, which is capable of understanding 17 languages.
However, its manager, Kym Gleeson, has highlighted that the system has difficulty understanding patients with broad Yorkshire accents, leading to frustration. Gleeson explained that the system encounters difficulties in grasping the "broad twangs" of the local accents, causing confusion and impatience among callers. The AI receptionist, which aims to provide instant answers and eliminate long wait times, has the potential to be beneficial, but patient dissatisfaction has arisen, with some individuals choosing to hang up rather than attempt to communicate with the AI.
Healthwatch Rotherham has received feedback from groups representing older people and veterans, who have reported that Emma's system is challenging for them to navigate. Some of these individuals have resorted to visiting their GP surgeries in person due to the difficulties they face with the AI. The watchdog emphasizes that GP practices have a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments for patients, particularly those who may be less confident with digital technology or have disabilities.
QuantumLoopAI, the company behind Emma, asserts that the system is designed to understand various dialects and accents, including those of English speakers. They state that if Emma is unable to comprehend a patient's request, the call can be transferred to a human receptionist, and callers can always request to speak with a staff member at any time.
QuantumLoopAI emphasizes that Emma does not make clinical decisions and is intended to improve access by answering calls instantly and reducing wait times on the phone.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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