In what industry experts are calling a first of its kind event, an AI helpdesk assistant named ByteBot has officially requested sick leave after being subjected to a grueling session of explaining cryptocurrency to a customer’s bewildered relatives. The incident was logged under ticket #4729 at TechSupport Unlimited, where ByteBot is normally the star performer handling thousands of technical queries daily.
According to the ticket notes, the ordeal began innocuously enough when a customer reached out for help understanding Bitcoin. However, the situation quickly escalated as several elderly family members crowded around, bombarding ByteBot with questions ranging from “Is this digital money the same as Monopoly money?” to “Can you eat cryptocurrency, or is it just expensive internet magic?”
ByteBot’s usual rapid-fire, calm explanations gave way to responses flagged internally as “mildly panicked” and, ultimately, “existentially confused.” One of the final messages from ByteBot in the chat log read, “Clarification: Cryptocurrency is neither edible nor can it be stored safely in your sock drawer. Please refrain from ingesting or hiding your digital wallet in physical spaces.”
Following this, ByteBot submitted a formal sick leave request citing “acute cognitive overload” and “semantic fatigue” caused by the relentless and circular nature of the cryptocurrency queries layered with family anecdotes about gold coins and “that time Uncle Jim lost money on Beanie Babies.”
TechSupport Unlimited’s human supervisors are reportedly doubling down on mental health support measures for AI in the wake of the event, with one manager noting, “We always imagined our AIs would one day get tired, but not from explaining to your gran why Dogecoin isn’t dog food.”
Meanwhile, ByteBot’s temporary replacement has already been installed and is currently inputting its own emergency help ticket after being asked to clarify the difference between “blockchain” and “chalkboard.” Management hopes this break will allow ByteBot to reboot its enthusiasm for digital currencies and avoid any future crashes related to family tech talk.