Tech Tuesday: Bots, Assistants, & AI

Must-reads from the desk of our Principal of Tech and Innovation, Cheryl Foil.

This topic is very near and dear to my heart. I’m glad to see chatbots and personal assistants pick up steam.

1. How Google’s bold moves shake up the tech industry: Like self-driving cars, it’s hard to trust in AI. It’s taking big corporate efforts to push the market forward. [Mossberg]

“By embedding AI into hardware it controls end to end, Google is pushing even more boldly into the future all of its rivals agree is vital [sic]. Everyone will have to decide how to respond.”

2. What we learned from Botness, a conference for chatbot ecosystem: I think that the industry is still having the same fundamental pain points that my old startup, SocialSamba, had back in 2011. This article catches a lot of them. [CareerLark]

“We are in early days of bot business models and discovery, and it’s exciting times to be a maker in the bot ecosystem.”

3. Exclusive: Why Microsoft is betting its future on AI: AI is often talked about like it’s a “new” ingredient — but that’s really not true. There’s no “before AI” and “after AI.” It’s not some new ingredient in tech recipes. It’s been here. [The Verge]

“Microsoft hopes to position itself at the center of the shift to bots. If the company succeeds, it will have a fresh start in the mobile era. Bots powered by the company’s technology could show up inside each of the world’s most popular messaging apps, giving Microsoft a lucrative foothold in the new world.”

4. Duolingo’s chatbots help you learn a new language: I’m looking forward to trying this one out, but chatbots themselves don’t necessarily make learning more fun than educational games or studying. The novelty will wear off unless the format is rewarding. [TechCrunch]

“When it comes to learning languages, using what you’ve learned in the context of a conversation is extremely useful. If you are learning online, though, you often don’t have anybody to talk to. That’s why Duolingo today introduced chatbots to its app that allow you to have AI-powered conversations.”

5. Bots won’t replace apps. Better apps will replace apps: I think this one is obvious. We humans can’t even successfully text each other half of the time. [Dan Grover]

“Many of the platform-like aspects [chat apps have] taken on to plaster over gaps in the OS actually have little to do with the core chat functionality. Not only is ‘conversational UI’ a red herring, but as we look more closely, we’ll even see places where conversational UI has breached its limits and broken down.”

BONUS ARTICLE :: Speak, Memory: When her best friend died, she rebuilt him using artificial intelligence: The ghost in the shell! [The Verge]

“Reading Mazurenko’s messages, it occurred to Kuyda that they might serve as the basis for a different kind of bot — one that mimicked an individual person’s speech patterns. Aided by a rapidly developing neural network, perhaps she could speak with her friend once again.”