Oh everything is so AI trendy now, we just don’t need people. However, I am intrigued about how a cheque (yes they still exist) is processed, if you are unlucky enough to get one through the post. I mean why can’t they just transfer it to your bank code by BACS. ( that would be just as secure). All you need is my account number and my sort code, and it would happen in a matter of hours.
Instead , the DVLA and the Tax People they send cheques. The nearest bank to us is about twenty miles away , to deposit they recommend using the mobile app.
Firstly I search how to deposit a cheque, I select deposit a cheque. It tells me to take a photo of the cheque.
“Hold the Camera flat” It tells me bossily.
The photo still wouldn’t work, and then it says try a dark background. What do you think I am a blooming photo studio. Frantically I search for something dark, but everything has print on it and I suspect will confuse the camera. I want it to read the barcode of the cheque , not the barcode to the latest bathroom suites from Wickes.
Anyway I found some light green paper which seemed to work, so after holding the camera flat and steady and hoping for the best. The app told me.
“Yes I can use the picture”
Well tickety boo! And then came the rather odd request.
“Can you check that you can read all the numbers?”
Well to be honest I had a John McEnroe senior moment.
“You cannot be serious! You are AI and you cannot read the numbers! I thought that was all you were interested in was numbers?” Needless to say I didn’t get an answer. Well to be honest I didn’t have my glasses and so I couldn’t read the numbers but decided to press send anyway as I was fed up.
The next instruction was don’t throw away the cheque as you won’t be able to upload another photo of it and will have to deposit at a bank if this is the case.
Well typical, so I put the cheque away somewhere safe , so if I need it I’ll probably forget where it is.
I really would have liked to spend the money , it was a small windfall really, I thought I’d just make sure it cleared before I did. So for three days I checked my app, and it was “in pending” and hadn’t cleared. After three days it cleared.
My suspicions were aroused. Computers don’t take three days to do anything, humans do, perhaps afterall AI needs a human to check things. Particularly when there is money involved. I think the Banks think so.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
thenotsomightyom 