It's then I notice that Demis has eight fingers and the flag is directly growing out of his tibia.
Also, the AI tech underpinning this conversation has pulled through from my social media a thousand pictures of cats and cakes and is creating a document 'about me and my needs'.
I'm being asked questions about setting up a charitable trust for a cats' home and whether I need referral for weight management before we can get onto discussing life insurance options. (Rude, but fair).
There's an option to switch to plain chat or to phone an AI adviser. I wave goodbye to Demis and exclaim "Ela, eh?" in recognition of my confused nationalities.
At this stage, I suspect most people my age would have switched to the phone.
We're used to automated telephony and we know some insurers and some basic banking functions operate phone lines along responsive AI. That is becoming par for the course.
I'm not ready for a face-to-face with an online AI adviser, even though there are genuinely excellent responsive AI programmes in use in financial services. For example, some of the training material from Money Alive uses virtual, AI trainers brilliantly.
I'm okay with basic form-filling online but I'm not sure I am ready yet for responsive AI, or for allowing every aspect of my online presence to be able to be drafted into the know-your-client process.
Of course, in a few years' time, most people under 40 will be used to this kind of SkyNet service. But for now, I'm sticking with flesh and blood.
That's probably for the best, eh?
simoney.kyriakou@ft.com
