Google Allo

Google​ ​Allo​ is ​​​“a​ ​smart messaging​ ​app​ ​that​ ​helps​ ​you​ ​say​ ​more​ ​and​ ​do​ ​more.”​ ​(Google,​ ​2017)​ ​One​ ​way​ ​Allo​ ​addresses the​ ​complexity​ ​of​ ​conversation​ ​is​ ​with​ ​its​ ​“Smart​ ​Reply”​ ​functionality​ ​“[that]​ ​lets​ ​you​ ​keep​ ​the conversation​ ​moving​ ​with​ ​a​ ​single​ ​tap​ ​by​ ​suggesting​ ​text​ ​and​ ​emoji​ ​responses​ ​based​ ​on​ ​your personality”​ ​(Google,​ ​2017).

Allo is a conversational interface that lacks​ ​in​ its ​ability​ ​to​ ​explain​ ​themselves.​ ​For​ ​instance,​ ​a​ ​user​ ​will​ ​never​ ​really understand​ ​how​ ​Allo’s​ ​smart​ ​replies​ ​are​ ​generated​ ​because​ ​how​ ​Allo​ ​determines​ ​your “personality”​ ​(Google,​ ​2017)​ ​remains​ ​an​ ​open​ ​question.​ ​Additionally,​ ​if​ ​a​ ​user​ ​we​re​ ​to​ ​wish​ ​to influence​ ​the​ ​intelligence​ ​provided​ ​by​ ​Allo,​ ​they​ ​would​ ​most​ ​likely​ ​be unabl​e​ ​to​ ​do​ ​so​ ​because​ ​of​ ​​a​ ​lack​ ​of​ ​a​ ​direct​ ​method​ ​to​ ​effect​ ​such​ ​intelligence.

Connection

Smart Reply is an example of a piece of functionality that could help in creating a shared language between a user and agent. This will be particularly important for both a user to understand an agent and for an agent to understand a user, so that I can a shared language can be built in any artifact I design over the next year.