I could do that vs Yes

[littleripper]

AIBU to think saying "I could do that" in response to an invitation or arrangement is not confirmation.
Or am I just very very old?😂😂

Are you saying it or someone and in response to what? Either way, doesn't sound like an overwhelmingly positive answer and I personally might think I'd want to withdraw the invitation!

Respond "Yeah, you could do that - but will you? I need an unambiguous 'yes' or 'no', please."

Means they can't think of a reason why not but they don't want to.

It just means they are free = yes.

I would do this in a WhatsApp group if we were discussing a choice of dates...

Yeah, doesn't sound like clear "yes" to me.

"Can you work 12-5pm Saturday?"
"I could do that"

I used to get "Yes" or "See you then" or whatever but now I get "I could", "I can" from lots of people

Depends on the tone. If you emphasise the could then it would imply you could but you don't want to. If it's said said a bit softer then it could mean 'that works for me' in a positive sense.

I say "it's a yes or no answer, which is it?"

It gets on my tits, tbh

Have you ever played the Yes No Game op?

In this case, perfectly reasonable.

You could be lining up options, and once you know who can do what you'll arrange things accordingly. They are saying they have availability, and you then tell them whether you want them to or not.

When we are arranging a call with 10 people, it's not confirmed until the actual meet invite comes through, but whoever is going to send it wants to know what the best time to send it for is. So they ask whether people could do a certain time. If enough people say yes, it's a go, otherwise they try to find another time.

Well you asked if they could work it by saying “can you work Saturday?” - that’s not the same as “will you…”.

“I could do that” is a more accurate and appropriate response than “I will do that”, which is the only unambiguous answer. They don’t yet know that you actually want them to work it, only that you’re searching for people who could do it.

I think that response is different in the context you've given. It's not an invitation as first suggested, is it?
If you're asking people to work specific hours and they say 'I could do that' it obviously means they're able to work those hours.
If you invited someone to something social and they replied the same way, I'd be thinking they're not too keen.