They say it's hard to find good help these days, and apparently that's especially true at New York City's three main airports: officials are paying an arm and a leg to install virtual assistants that can help direct travelers.
To answer traveler's questions about everything from luggage and gate assignments, to security and arrivals, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has installed virtual babes projected on a plexiglass cutout, that can answer your questions Siri style. Just ask and you'll get at least some kind of response.
According to the Port Authority, passengers have been asking for more human interaction to help them at the airports, but I'm not sure if this is what they had in mind.
With over 100 million passengers passing through the three airports every year, the three virtual babes are going to be stretched pretty thin answering all of those questions, but to be fair the Port Authority says it is adding more real flesh-and-blood human help, too.
What's really silly however is that the virtual help babes are being rented at a cost of $180,000 for six months. That amount would probably hire six to eight additional real human helpers at a time when there are plenty of people looking for work.
At least the virtual helpers won't be late for work.
Wall Street Journal, via Yahoo! News
To answer traveler's questions about everything from luggage and gate assignments, to security and arrivals, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has installed virtual babes projected on a plexiglass cutout, that can answer your questions Siri style. Just ask and you'll get at least some kind of response.
According to the Port Authority, passengers have been asking for more human interaction to help them at the airports, but I'm not sure if this is what they had in mind.
With over 100 million passengers passing through the three airports every year, the three virtual babes are going to be stretched pretty thin answering all of those questions, but to be fair the Port Authority says it is adding more real flesh-and-blood human help, too.
What's really silly however is that the virtual help babes are being rented at a cost of $180,000 for six months. That amount would probably hire six to eight additional real human helpers at a time when there are plenty of people looking for work.
At least the virtual helpers won't be late for work.
Wall Street Journal, via Yahoo! News
Posts
