Will AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Chat bots replace native mobile apps in coming future?

Yes! I believe; chat bots are on the verge of dethroning mobile app from the market. We have often seen tech industry go through critical transformations and this happens to be one of them. According to Gartner, by 2020 around 85% of customer interactions is going to be managed without a human. It all started when browser replaced the desktop operating systems as the new platform. Similar to websites replacing client-server applications then, messaging bots will replace mobile apps now.

ComScore published a research report that an average user devotes half of their app time on a single app whereas the second app gets around 18 percent of the total app time. The third most used app was accounted for the 10 percent of the total usage time.

I am sure I don’t need to tell you that the single app that most people spend half their time on is Facebook. Probably the second and third are also Facebook-owned properties.

Today almost 75% of smartphone users around the globe use some sort of messaging app – whether it is Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber or WeChat.

Some of the Top Messaging apps

WhatsApp, FB Messenger, WeChat, Viber, Line, Snapchat, Kakao Talk, Kik Telegram, Skype

It is about fundamentally changing the way we interact. From checking our social media updates to replying to that important client mail; from ordering a pizza to booking movie tickets – we all face the anxiety of searching and downloading different apps for separate purposes.

Integrating services such as ordering products or booking a flight into these messengers is a much smoother way to communicate, rather than downloading dozens of specialist apps that you use just a couple of times a year, consuming precious storage space. 

And this is where bots with their Natural language understanding (NLU) interface gives a ray of hope. And that’s where Artificial Intelligence (AI) jumps in.

Why go for a Mobile AI?

Artificial Intelligence, once considered a myth is now a reality. Siri, Cortana, or any other assistant bots are all examples of what we have achieved till now. An army of developers and linguists dedicate hours to carve services into responsive personal assistants that caters to all your queries, tracks down information, sends messages, launch application, and much more. As consumer expectations are exceeding above the average app’s performance thresholds of errors, loading speed and overall UI experience. Apps need to get smart.

Friendly to Users

Mobile Apps and websites are nothing else but a pile of information which can be packed into a single messaging app where such chat bots can offer all the services. These intelligent beings interact with you via chats, just like a personal assistant who takes care of your schedules, meeting, bookings, etc. Telling them what to do is quite similar to typing a search into Google. Though, here you can go way beyond than just asking questions. From buying movie tickets to booking hotels merging such services into a single messaging app is much convenient than downloading multiple applications.

Cheaper and faster than ever

Demand is not just from the customer side – developers love them too. Developing a bot on any messaging platform is much easier than creating a separate app from scratch whether it is for IOS or Android. With increasing number of bot-building platforms, it has become much easier to deploy them on multiple platforms at once. In spite of the fact that internet users are growing at an exploding rate; many users find it difficult accessing these heavy Apps. Now, why would someone wait for a pizza ordering app to load where they can easily ask their chat bots to do it for them?

Tech Giants joining the race

The hype around chat bots isn’t something new. Microsoft, Facebook Messenger, Telegram are already in the game. They have either launched their AI bots or in a process of development. Seattle based technology giant Microsoft made an announcement at company’s annual build event that it would integrate bots into skype. Audience in San Francisco was thrilled when its Chief executive Satya Nadella booked a hotel room and ordered a pizza through a chat with a skype bot.  

Technical Superiority

Customers often prefer personalized services and would actually pay for it. There are millions of websites and apps offering static user experience, which doesn’t fulfill the exact needs of users. Chat bots are tailored to perform similar operations, but advancement in Human Language processing or in some cases Artificial Intelligence has made chat bots expandable and a big hit. The best part about bots is that they constantly learn from their user’s behavior which means that the 100th response by the bot is going to be way more relevant than the first.

What about App?

 All this chaos doesn’t means dooms day is near for Apps.  Bots still have fewer chances of replacing complex applications like camera apps or games. Even though download numbers are still on the rise, the app economy seems to be stagnant now. Tech research firm Gartner published a report saying that exploding growth of apps just can’t continue. Smartphone users are now limiting their usage levels not because they are done with the apps but because there are too many of them, so users are becoming more selective. But we cannot deny the fact that chat bots do offers multiple benefits and can be the best alternative to mobiles apps and websites. What I love about chat bots the most is that there learning algorithm which enables them to match their user’s need.