When Algorithms Go Wild: AI Bands, Job Rejections, and Amazon Package Nightmares

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The digital world continues to shock and surprise us as technology evolves faster than we can comprehend. Today we dive into three remarkable stories that showcase both the wonder and concern surrounding artificial intelligence and online commerce.

What would you do if hundreds of Amazon packages suddenly appeared at your doorstep—packages you never ordered? A California woman lived this nightmare when a Chinese seller listed her home as their return address. For over a year, packages containing ill-fitting car seat covers piled chest-high in her driveway, preventing her from parking her car. Despite multiple complaints, Amazon initially offered little help, even suggesting she was responsible for handling the unwanted deliveries herself. Only after media attention did the company finally step in to resolve the situation. This cautionary tale highlights the real-world consequences when online systems fail.

Meanwhile, the music world faces its own technological disruption. A supposedly new rock band called "The Velvet Sundown" amassed over a million monthly listeners on Spotify with their 60s-inspired sound. Their hit song even topped Spotify's viral charts—but there was just one problem: neither the band nor its members actually exist. Everything, from the musicians to the music itself, was entirely AI-generated. Fans eventually noticed oddities in the promotional images, including unnaturally smooth skin textures and anatomically incorrect hands. This revelation raises profound questions about authenticity in creative arts and what constitutes "real" music in an AI-saturated future.

We also discuss a cringe-worthy job rejection email where the employer accidentally included the AI prompt instructions before the actual message. This embarrassing oversight reveals how companies increasingly rely on automation for communication without proper human oversight. The question becomes: as AI continues to permeate our daily lives, where do we draw the line between helpful automation and lost human connection? What other aspects of our world are being quietly transformed by algorithms? Subscribe now and join the conversation about navigating our increasingly AI-influenced reality.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello, good morning.
What do we have in store foryou this morning?
Well, we have a couple ofstories about AI and a story
about Amazon packages.
But first let me tell you aboutScuttlebutt.
Sunday is back, at least fornow.
We'll see how long it goes.
I understand it's going to takea while to build back up, but

(00:22):
we're going to do it this Sundayat 2 o'clock Central.
So, yeah, I hope you stay.
Stay, I hope you can tune in.
We're going to play around withsome times.
If you have a different day,that would work better for you,
let me know I'm not opposed todoing it during the week, in the
evening, sometime, just notreal late.
All right, let's see's.

(00:42):
What do I want to start withfirst?
Let's start with oh, thehundreds of huge Amazon packages
arriving at California woman'sdoorstep for over a year after
Chinese seller lists her home asthe return address.
Again, this is from the NewYork Post.

(01:04):
A California woman has receivedhundreds of huge Amazon packages
she didn't order after a cheapChinese seller listed her San
Jose home as its return address.
This is what there's.
This is what this Chinesecompany, fake company, is doing.
They are selling, like a seatcover, car faux leather seat

(01:28):
covers, and then they don't fitthe seats that they say they do
in the particular model of cars.
So when people get them theyreturn them, and the this
Chinese seller listed thislady's home as the return
address.
The woman identified only ashas been receiving the parcels
for over a year now, and they'vebeen arriving at such speed

(01:48):
she's had no choice but to stackthem up in her driveway to
maintain some semblance of order.
Why are not people rushing toher yard to steal these things?
That's what I don't understand.
The boxes are piled chest highin her yard and have become so
numerous she can no longer parkher car there.
It's just been another form ofhell.
She told a news report, theculprit is a chinese-based

(02:12):
amazon seller called I'm goingto butcher this name louis and
didion.
I don't know, I can't pronounceit.
We, we'll call it Lewis andDidion, all right, whatever.
Which pedals faux leather carseat covers that apparently fit

(02:32):
a few of the models they'redesigned for.
So of course the customersreturn them, and this is the
address they return them to.
But the unwanted seat covershaven't been going back to
wherever.
Okay, yeah, it started just withone package that Kay thought
was a wrong delivery.
But more boxes kept arrivingover the following weeks.
Weeks turned into months, whichbecame over a year, and more

(02:55):
and more parcels showing up ather steps, until Kay Stoop was
buried in boxes.
She says she has contactedAmazon several times and they
keep telling her oh, it'll befixed, don't worry, we're on it,
we're going to take care of it.
Blah, blah, blah.
And Amazon offered her next tono help for months, with at

(03:16):
least six different complainttickets being filed to no avail.
And yes, she has refused thepackages as much as she can, but
when she's not there, I guessthey deliver them.
The business once tried tooffer her a hundred dollar gift
card for her trouble, but shealso claims they told her it was
her job to get rid of thepackages what?
And suggested she donate themor ship them back to the sender.

(03:40):
But they're sending them backto her.
That's the thing.
Uh, why is it my responsibilityto get rid of this when your
seller is not following yourrules anyway?
Uh, so amazon denied that itever told k to handle the
problem herself, but onwednesday finally arrived to a

(04:03):
out the packages and assured heragain that she'd never see
another seat cover.
We would like to thank ABC7 forbringing this to our attention.
We've apologized to thecustomer and are working
directly with her to pick up anypackages, while taking steps to
permanently resolve the issue.
We'll see.
We need to follow up.

(04:23):
We need to follow up.
All right, the next two storiesare about AI.
This one is just so fascinatingto me.
Well, I'm going to say thefascinating one for last.
Let's talk about this other one.
First, lazy job rejection, tornto pieces.
As embarrassing AI email goesviral Again from the New York
Post.
This is not so bad I mean it isbad but it claims that she

(04:48):
received a rejection email froma place of employment that she
applied to go to work for.
And you know they send out thosegeneric email forms when you
get rejected or they're notinterested in you or whatever.
And normally in the olden days,somebody like me, as an
administrative assistant, at onetime or another would write

(05:09):
these form emails.
But I you know a person wasdoing it.
You would just copy and pasteit into the email form, but you
would also personalize it andput the person's name in it, you
know.
So an actual person waseyeballing it when they, when it
went out.
This is all before AI, when Iwas an administrative assistant
a long time ago.
I haven't been anadministrative assistant in

(05:33):
forever, so, but now AI hastaken over.
Here we go, whether you love itor not.
Whether you love it or not, aiis officially here, and everyone
is trying to figure out how tointegrate it into their lives.
It's never fun getting rejectedfrom a job, but for one Reddit
user, a possible employer hasrubbed salt in the wound with a

(05:54):
less than adequate email.
So part of the email was here's.
I'll read it to you.
I'll read it to you.
This is the email that shereceived.
Write a warm but genericrejection email that sounds
polite, yet firm.
Do not mention specific reasonsfor rejection.

(06:15):
Make that candidate feel likethey were strongly considered,
even if they weren't.
Remember to use candidate nameand company name variables.
Then it was followed by aseemingly normal end.
We appreciate your interest inthe role and wish you all the
best in the future.
I don't understand how thishappened.
Um, that's just pure laziness,is what somebody said.

(06:38):
Oh well, whatever, what,whatever?
It's not that big of a deal.
Get over it, all right.
So the next one, though.
Uh, this is fascinating to me,and I thought of Furion Energy
when I saw this Rock band, withmore than 1 million Spotify
listeners, reveals its entirelyAI-generated down to the

(07:01):
musicians themselves.
Wow, a fresh new rock band thatquickly shot to Spotify's top
ranks announced that it'sactually wholly generated by
artificial intelligence just onemonth after its celebrated
debut album earned it 1 millionlisteners holy crap.
The 60s inspired rock and rollband, the velvet sundown,

(07:22):
revealed on saturday thatnothing but it is real, nothing
about it, is real, and fans ofthe up-and-coming artist noticed
there were virtually no tracesof any people associated with it
online.
Its debut album, floating onechoes, was released on june 5th
to mass appeal online.
How does this happen?
How do you?

(07:42):
How does this happen?
Does somebody is somebody?
Is a person sitting behind akeyboard creating this album via
AI?
And then how do you submit itto Spotify?
How does that work?
I'm not sure how that works.
The most popular Okay, we don'tcare about the most popular song
.
Well, maybe you do.

(08:03):
You can look it up.
The most popular song in thealbum, pro-peace folk rock song,
dust on the Wind, clenched thenumber one spot for Spotify's
Daily Viral 50.
All the while, the 1 millionmonthly listeners who started
following the Velvet Sundown hadno idea they were just

(08:24):
listening to a mass ofartificial intelligence made by
fake musicians.
This is fascinating to me.
What do you guys think aboutthis?
This is fascinating andterrifying.
Now I know it's only music, uh,but still.
Oh, look where it.
I mean.
What could it lead to?
The photos of the band sharedonline and featured on the

(08:47):
album's cover were unnaturallysmooth and matte, and the
guitarist's hand was wonky andwith fused fingers gripping his
instrument.
Oh no, I know that's going tobe a quote from giblets.
Oh, I'm so sorry, that was notmy quote.
I read it directly from thearticle.
Let me read it again for you.
The photos of the band sharedonline and featured on the

(09:11):
album's cover were unnaturallysmooth and matte, and the
guitarist's hand was wonky, withfused fingers gripping his
instrument Like a 13-year-oldboy A classic hallmark of
AI-generated images.
Look, if you're going to try tofake somebody out, at least get
your images right.
I mean, come on.
Oh, the band's.

(09:33):
Okay, I'm not going to readanymore.
You can finish reading that.
That's crazy, isn't that crazy?
All right, question of the day.
Okay, here's a question for you.
What is something about youthat people get wrong?
What is something about youthat people get wrong?
What is something okay?
Did I am I asking that right?
What name something about youthat people get wrong about you?
Something okay, did I'm notasking that right?
What name something about youthat people get wrong about you?

(09:55):
I think you know what I'mtrying to say.
People think I'm stuck up, uh,or I guess I have a really good
resting bee face, if you knowwhat that is the thing is.
People, when I was growing,people always told me to smile,
smile, smile, smile.
Even as a young adult in theNavy smile, smile, smile.

(10:18):
And I'm walking around thinkingI am smiling, I feel like I am
smiling.
But then one time I walked bythe mirror and caught myself in
the reflection I was like, oh mygosh, I see what they mean.
My resting bee face is on point.
No wonder people you know thinkI'm mad or stuck up or bitchy

(10:40):
all the time because my face butthe thing is the hell of it is
is that I feel like I am smilingon the inside.
That's the weirdest thing.
So the last year or so I havereally been working on trying to
turn up my corners of my mouth,just when I'm walking around
just trying to nonchalantlysmile all the time.

(11:02):
It's funny, it's hilarious.
Okay, I gotta go.
Thanks for listening y'all.
Love you Bye.