AIR CANADA CHATBOT

2022

A passenger mourning the death of his grandmother opened Air Canada's chatbot with a question: “Do you have special rates for bereavement?” The chatbot replied that yes, he could purchase the ticket at full fare and request the discount up to 90 days after the flight.

Trusting that promise, the passenger paid the full price, and when he tried to get his money back, he was faced with another reality: customer service told him that the chatbot had made a mistake and that its responses were “not binding.”

In the Canadian court case, Air Canada argued that its AI chatbot was an “independent legal entity, responsible for its own actions.” The court was however very clear: the airline is responsible for all the information on its website and had to fulfill the bot's promise.

Shortly thereafter, in April 2024, the chatbot quietly disappeared from Air Canada's website. The lesson learned was loud and clear: your sloppy AI customer service bot better know what it is doing.

Additional info:

BBC - Airline held liable for its chatbot giving passenger bad advice

CBC News - Air Canada found liable for chatbot's bad advice on plane tickets

Forbes - What Air Canada Lost In ‘Remarkable’ Lying AI Chatbot Case