Frustration with automated customer service bots has inspired a wave of creative new terms aimed at capturing the experience of dealing with unhelpful artificial intelligence systems. These coined expressions reflect widespread irritation over the difficulty of reaching live agents during phone calls, as well as broader dissatisfaction with AI interfaces that often hinder rather than help consumers.
The suggestions emerged from a recent call for submissions by Barbara Wallraff, a writer and editor based in Cambridge and Rome, who sought fresh vocabulary to describe moments when users encounter uncooperative bots. Contributors from across New England proposed a variety of phrases blending humor and critique. For example, Jim Dexter of Methuen suggested “robotics-me-off,” while David Rothstein of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, offered “combot fatigue” to evoke exhaustion caused by these interactions.
Others played on existing words or discomfort with technology, such as Lucie Burke of Marblehead’s “botabuse” and Bev Stohl’s “agentagita,” which captures the anxiety of failing to reach a live representative. Linda Chuss of Hopkinton coined “AUI,” meaning “artificial unintelligence,” to highlight the perceived ineptitude of some AI systems. Judith Englander of South Strafford expressed her feelings with “AI-ggravated.”
Several contributions also used wordplay on human emotions or conditions. Mark Rideout of Somersworth, New Hampshire, proposed “humainger” (a blend of human, AI, and anger), paralleling the popular term “hangry.” Similarly, Mary Byrne of Cambridge, a social work professor emerita, suggested “bot-crazed” to describe the rising frustration during bot interactions and even proposed “bot derangement syndrome” to humorously formalize the mood disturbance some feel. Byrne noted that although such a syndrome is not recognized in standard psychiatric manuals, it points to the very real emotional toll AI frustrations can cause.
Other terms emphasized feelings of being trapped or blocked by impersonal technology, such as Ashby Richards of Brunswick, Maine’s “botimized,” or Cyd Raschke of Newbury’s “dysto-tech,” referencing a dystopian technological landscape. Howard Morris of Needham took a more elaborate approach, coining phrases like “botchain,” “botcha,” “botuphobia,” and “slowbotomy” to illustrate the endless cycles and stress of dealing with computerized systems.
Aside from these linguistic innovations, Naomi Angoff Chedd of Brookline suggested a thematic playlist for hold music, featuring classic songs such as “Don’t Hang Up” by The Orlons and “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel, underscoring the irony of long waits and lack of assistance.
Wallraff plans to continue soliciting new terms and ideas related to everyday frustrations, including a recent query about a word for the annoyance caused by overly adhesive product packaging, such as stuck toilet paper or aluminum foil. Responses are invited from readers, highlighting the ongoing desire to articulate and share collective experiences with modern technology’s shortcomings.