I actually had a meeting with a company that has created a triage tool based on AI, and the most useful part of the tool was being able to map service manuals by model number and have the correct manual ready for the tech to download without them having to look for it. I'm not sure how accurate this actually was though, and I'm fairly certain it only worked for Whirlpool-brand appliances. I think this part of it is really exciting and something worth exploring.

The triage tool itself was very lackluster, it didn't tell you anything you didn't already know. If you had a fridge that wasn't cooling for example, it would just give you a long list of potential causes, and I can create that list myself in my head in five seconds. The problem is, I'd rather not create that list. I find that it's better to get out there and get my facts instead of making any assumptions about what's going on, to avoid clouding my troubleshooting and judgement.

I think if used purely as a guide, perhaps for someone in customer service without technical knowledge, to help them ask the right questions to get more useful answers from the customer, these things can be very valuable tools. I don't believe they offer much to an actual technician though. If used by a tech with little to no experience it'll teach them incorrect things and procedures, and when used by an experienced tech it won't tell them anything they don't already know.

28 minutes ago, Samurai Appliance Repair Man said:

In any case, it can only be an accurate as the database source info, such as the information in service manuals and tech sheets.

Exactly. And there is no unified data base of tech documentation, so getting access to one would require building it, and building it would require (I assume) paying $$$ to each and every manufacturer for access. I'll stick to Appliantology, thank you very much.