Days after the airline AirAsia India introduced its website's virtual assistant "Ava" on WhatsApp, not only have Twitter users started flooding it with questions on safety lapses, but they have also shared screenshots of the replies on Twitter.
YouTuber and pilot Gaurav Taneja, famously known for his YouTube channel "Flying Beast", triggered a wave of queries with his post on AirAsia's advertisement about the WhatsApp chatbot.
Will she answer my questions on Flight safety ?? #AirAsiaIsUnsafe https://t.co/I4UhNE6BXZ
— Gaurav Taneja (@flyingbeast320) August 4, 2020
While some made jabs at the airline by stating that they need human intelligence to answer these queries, others simply mocked it for "not understanding the questions".
Ans nahi mila @flyingbeast320 @AirAsia #AirasiaisUnsafe pic.twitter.com/3Bwd0V7No5
— Rimik chakroborty (@rimikphotograph) August 4, 2020
No answer, we need human intelligence here, Please. pic.twitter.com/iedK2Dlfmz
— Briz (@Noctiggi) August 4, 2020
Gaurav Bhaiya,
— #MakingMahool (@shubhamwebsity) August 4, 2020
i asked her🤦♂️ She is also not able to answer your questions pic.twitter.com/MMmhrGip2n
Biggest joke 😂 . See @flyingbeast320 #safety pic.twitter.com/m6lZ4W5L4J
— RAJ MOTWANI (@RAJMOTWANI16) August 4, 2020
Others shared memes about the chatbot that mocked its auto-generated replies.
Air Asia and their AVA be like : pic.twitter.com/2cS3ltH13m
— Parijat (@Fighter_Lahiri) August 4, 2020
When gaurav bhai questions to @AirAsiaIndian their reaction be like :👇 😇 pic.twitter.com/ZEMr88Y0iV
— Aman (@Amanb2001) August 4, 2020
In June, the AirAsia India YouTuber-pilot accused the airline of compromising safety standards on three parameters - "unfavourable" sick leave policy, deploying 98 percent Flap 3 landings to save fuel, and violating COVID-19 flying norms - in a YouTube video titled "Reasons behind suspension from my pilot job".
India's aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a show-cause notice to the airline, stating that it has taken note of the concerns raised.
In response, the airline assured full cooperation with the watchdog's fact-finding process.
In a recent development, the pilot revealed the aviation regulator's response to a Right to Information (RTI) report filed by one of his fans.
RTI is an Indian policy to uphold a citizen's right to public information.
Citing the regulator's reply, the YouTuber-pilot said, "the DGCA carried out unplanned audit into the matter. The audit identified few systemic deficiencies and the show-cause notice was issued to the concerned head of the department".
