G5

• Businesses in customer service

  • Increasingly depending on cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology to transform consumer interactions
• Technology collaborates with call-center personnel

  To evaluate the emotional aspects of phone interactions
• Cogito collaborates with MetLife


  To improve client experiences and provide real-time direction to agents navigating the complex landscape of human emotions
• Cogito's software


  • Serves as a technological confidant, providing vital insights to agents and supervisors in real time
• The collaboration between Cogito and MetLife brings ethical concerns that require serious examination
• The dilemma in navigating the ethical terrain of AI in customer service

  Is to strike a balance between exploiting technological benefits and adhering to ethical standards that protect human rights, workplace justice, and the collective good
• The study seeks to shed light on the various ethical considerations in AI integration in customer service
• Cogito uses special computer programs to listen to the way customers talk on the phone to help customer service agents
• Cogito software watches how agents and customers talk, paying attention to factors like speed of speech, pauses, interruptions, and mood of the conversation
• Cogito software provides feedback to agents through icons on their screens if something needs improvement
• Cogito analyzes the tone of voice and speech patterns to understand emotions and reactions of customers
• Cogito creates reports for agents' bosses based on the analysis of calls
• Cogito alerts the boss if an agent tries to hide or close the program
• The goal of Cogito's involvement is to improve customer service, leading to a 13% increase in customer satisfaction at MetLife
• Some call-center agents find Cogito's assistance helpful, while others find it challenging, especially features like the "empathy" notification
• Cogito acts as a digital sidekick listening in on customer service calls to enhance interactions, raising questions about the extent of technology's role in personal interactions
• Stakeholders in AI integration in customer service

  • Call-center agents
  • Customers
• Entities involved in the customer service scenario

  • Call-center agents
  • Customers
  • Supervisors
  • MetLife
  • Cogito
• Cogito's software

  Decipher and understand the human touch within dialogues using customers' voices as raw material
• Supervisors' role

  Use real-time feedback from Cogito to assess call-center agents' performance
• Supervisors use data from Cogito


  To assess call-center agents' performance
• MetLife's goal

  Enhancing customer satisfaction through implementing Cogito
• Cogito is a company with stakeholders, adding a human touch to the technology it creates
• Understanding stakeholders' perspectives and motivations enriches the ethical dialogue surrounding the use of Cogito's software
• Concerns in the ethical landscape of customer service scenario
• Concerns in the ethical landscape

  • Informed consent and privacy
  • Impact on employee autonomy and well-being
  • Transparency and fairness
• Concerns about informed consent and privacy arise due to lack of detailed disclosure about emotional analysis on customers' voices, tones, and emotions
• Continuous monitoring and virtual managerial role assumed by Cogito raise concerns about employee autonomy and well-being
• Transparency and fairness are crucial ethical dimensions in the scenario, especially regarding the fairness of assessments by Cogito
• Challenges may arise in comprehending and managing certain features of Cogito, impacting the fairness of the evaluation process
• Integration of AI in customer service requires a thoughtful and balanced approach to consider the interests and well-being of both customers and call-center agents
• Navigating the ethical considerations of integrating Cogito's AI software

  Explore options through the lenses of utilitarianism, rights, justice, virtue, and the common good
• Current approach involves continuing the use of Cogito to improve customer service and satisfaction, requiring examination of stakeholders' happiness and satisfaction
• An ethical course of action could involve enhancing disclosure and transparency about AI analysis to respect individuals' rights to privacy and informed consent
• Considerations of justice are important to evaluate fairness and equity in the distribution of benefits and burdens in the integration of AI in customer service
• Considerations of justice

  Come into play, as fairness and equity in the distribution of benefits and burdens should be evaluated to ensure a balanced impact on both customers and call-center agents
• Exploring alternative AI solutions prioritizing privacy


  1. Aligns with the virtue ethics framework

  2. Considers the impact on virtues such as honesty, transparency, and respect for the well-being of individuals

  3. Reflects a commitment to virtues that uphold ethical principles in customer service practices
• Choosing an alternative AI solution

  Reflects a commitment to virtues that uphold ethical principles in customer service practices
• Decision should reflect on the common good

  Contemplating the collective well-being of society and its values
• Balancing technological innovation with ethical principles

  Becomes imperative to ensure that the integration of AI into customer service aligns with societal values and contributes positively to the common good