The Hardest AI Agent Failure: A Cheerful Reply to an Angry Customer
BinVio · reddit · 2026-09-28
A developer building Ecbot (open-source AI agent for Messenger/Zalo/WhatsApp) argues the hardest failure to catch isn't a wrong answer but an agent replying "Thanks so much! 😊" to a frustrated customer. He defines an agent as taking a job, deciding steps, and using tools — with four parts: model (reasoning), knowledge (allowed docs), tools (actions like checking stock or creating orders), and rules (when to stop and hand off to humans). A test scenario: a Vietnamese, typo-ridden late-night product query where flow bots fail intent, RAG-only bots can't order, but agents complete the purchase — then must detect frustration the next day and escalate instead of cheering. Most of their bugs live in that last step. He asks the community about handoff thresholds and non-English intent accuracy.
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