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A London council office is to replace its human receptionist with a hologram, claiming that the digital replacement will ‘save lots of money’.
Named ‘Shanice’, the hologram uses technology currently deployed in airports, which allows visitors to ask questions using a touch-screen and receive a preset response, as demonstrated in a YouTube video.
Shanice will be projected to appear as if she is just another worker sat behind a desk at Brent Town Hall, ‘but on closer inspection she’s actually projected onto a see-through screen’, the council explained.
The technology is to cost £12,000, which the council claims is £5,000 cheaper than if the role was filled by a human.
One member of Brent’s council, James Denselow, who is Lead Member for Customers and Citizens said: ‘This is the sort of space age technology you hear about but never really expect to see, especially in council buildings. […] The best thing is it’s going to save us lots of money, without compromising our service.’
