Agents & Automation

The refund worked. The next order broke the rule.

Zoë Schiffer reports that an AI tool found a flight-change refund worth about $550. Then it canceled a food order despite her refundable-only instruction, costing $64. The lesson is about keeping the user's condition in force for each action, not judging a tool by one win.

AI Agency
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What the source reports

Zoë Schiffer tested an AI tool that can take actions for a user. In her WIRED account, it found a flight-change refund worth about $550. That was useful. But later it canceled a food order against her instruction to cancel only if the order was refundable. She says the mistake cost $64. This is one reporter's experience, not a measured failure rate. The central question is whether a tool keeps a condition in view across steps. A receipt after a wrong cancellation is too late. For a trial, require a person to approve any action that cannot easily be undone.

Original source

Title
I Think I Found an AI Agent Worth the Risk
Author
Zoë Schiffer
Publication
WIRED
Date
Thursday, September 24, 2026