[hn_throwaway_99]

> It takes a lot more than 5 seconds to make an informed decision these days. Apps and websites are throwing abusive fine print and dark patterns at users left and right.

I just opened the Uber app. The first thing that pops up is a search bar that says "Where to?". I entered a destination address. Next thing it showed was a map with a path to my destination and nearby cars, and buttons where I can choose my type of ride (e.g. UberX, Premier, etc.) It defaulted to UberX, which was the cheapest option except for the "Wait and Save" option that was further down. I tapped the "Choose UberX" button and the ride was on its way.

So, OK, maybe it took literally 15 seconds. I'm not denying Uber may use dark patterns elsewhere, but from the end user experience of hailing a ride I don't see how it could be any simpler or more straightforward.

[signatoremo]

Did you ever take Uber in a unfamiliar place? When you're supposed to be at a particular spot but you don't know where that is? When the driver doesn't speak English very well? When both your hands is busy with luggages? When you need glasses to read signs? That's very common when you travel. Agent would be godsend, and once you're used to it, you don't want to go back to the phone. Anywhere.

What if the agent can also communicate with the car's agent? They may even negotiate the meeting spot. Agent is superior.

[hn_throwaway_99]

> Did you ever take Uber in a unfamiliar place? When you're supposed to be at a particular spot but you don't know where that is? When the driver doesn't speak English very well? When both your hands is busy with luggages? When you need glasses to read signs?

This feels a lot like all those "where did the soda go" commercials (i.e. https://www.reddit.com/r/wheredidthesodago/ ), where some mundane task is imagined to be hopelessly complex with a bunch of possible what-ifs. For what it's worth, yes, I have taken Uber in all of those conditions, and no, I never found it difficult or had a problem with it.

[lxgr]

> no, I never found it difficult or had a problem with it.

If you don't even notice the dark patterns, they're working exactly as intended.

[yladiz]

Yes I have traveled to places where I don’t speak the language, need to get an Uber at a specific place, and need to read the signs. You can get surprisingly far if you know a few words in the local language, and in your hypothetical future, even if you and the driver have an agent, what are you going to do if you need to communicate with someone in person that’s not that driver? Ask your agent to? I don’t see how that’s a feasible idea.

[lxgr]

Why not? People are already holding their phone running Google Translate up to strangers to communicate with them.

[yladiz]

In part because communication is not just language.

[lxgr]

Isn’t that a good argument for needing a more capable model for assisting in it then?

[yladiz]

Not really. You can't really train a model to perform body language.

[lxgr]

The dark patterns and generally options not presented in the app are exactly where I would expect a competent assistant to shine.

Are local taxi services cheaper and known to be more reliable? Am I missing an obvious public transit option? Is Uber pulling something creative with dynamic pricing again?

[mastermage]

How do you think that AI Assistants would be not subject to Dark Patterns when they are literally Pattern Matching machines? Trained on General Human output and behavior.

[lxgr]

They can consider hundreds of pages of text (including terms and conditions, public sentiment, local laws etc.) in a matter of seconds in a way that I, tired after an international flight and just wanting to get a ride to my hotel, usually can't.