ChatBots: The Next Frontier of Digital

“Please send me the best flight deal to Atlanta to NYC this weekend”

“Good Morning. This is Jack. I would be happy to find the best flight deal for you! When are you looking to leave and come back?”

“Good Morning, Jack. I would like to leave on Saturday morning and come back Sunday evening.”

“Perfect, the best deal is on Delta airlines leaving at 9:30 AM on flight 545 on Saturday and returning at 9:30 PM on flight 700 Sunday. The total price is $230. Would you like to book this?”

“Thank you that is perfect. Please book this for me.”

“Absolutely! I am sending your information to the delta.com website where you may complete your reservation.”

Jack is not a human travel agent – it is a ChatBot programmed to provide a specific set of services. ChatBots are micro-services with Artificial Intelligence (AI) serving a specific conversation function.  They are meant to mimic the interaction you would have with another human.  There are three trends that are driving the emergence of ChatBots as one of the most powerful messaging platforms to date:

1.  Mobile devices are the primary way of communication for most around the world. Applications are very difficult to build and take time to maintain and upgrade. Most customers only use 5 applications on their phone, making it difficult for your application to be the one they choose out of the thousands available.  
2. Messaging is utilized most often among friends for communication of events. We prefer to have a conversation. This is where ChatBots allow us to use messaging as a platform. This time, we are talking to artificial intelligence bots that were programmed to relay the conversation in specific ways.
3. ChatBots build on that engrained psychological need to communicate in conversation. ChatBots can be our friends – making that conversation easier and more native. Is Jack a human or he is an AI ChatBot?  

Chatbots have suddenly become the biggest thing in tech. They unlock the ability to provide personalized, interactive communication similar to talking to a human customer service or sales rep, but at scale and less expensive than call centers. Google Allo’s resident bot, the Google assistant, is always active and analyzing your conversations to better anticipate your needs when you activate it. This is quite different from Facebook Messenger, which hosts third-party bots used for a specific purpose or interaction and relies on users to initiate the conversation. Apple, meanwhile, offers brands the opportunity to create full-fledged apps that are an extension of its Messages app and, as a result, can potentially offer richer, more immersive experiences than other bots. Microsoft Corp. has begun supplying underlying technology used by developers on many other messaging services as well as its own offerings like Skype. The ChatBot Ecosystem below shows the large number of companies that are involved in this trend.

ChatBots also are invading professions. "Betty" is an office manager that greets guests, recognizes her human co-workers, tracks their hours, and keeps an eye on the office supplies. "Mya," from employment firm FirstJob, gets in touch with applicants to let them know if they're in the running. "Ellie" is a budding psychotherapist that reads your body language through a camera. Her on-screen avatar responds not only verbally but also with a nod, smile or other appropriate gesture. Many people report being more forthcoming with an artificial therapist rather than telling their embarrassing secrets to a fellow human. According to the research conducted by Credence Research, Inc., ChatBots have potential to leapfrog mobile apps to become major medium for digital communication and commerce. Thus, we can expect enterprises of all sizes to adopt ChatBots platforms the same way they are embracing IoT and mobile platforms.

What will make your ChatBot stand out of the thousands already created? How will you make your “Jack” bot smart? It is important consider the following set of requirements when building your ChatBot:

•  Integration with Messaging Platform
• Natural Language Learning
• Integration with Enterprise System
• Monitoring
• Testing and Security

 Natural language learning and integration with the enterprise system is the crux of building a well versed Chabot. Today, bots need to have a very specific function and area of expertise. For example, a Bot that knows about the weather, will not be able to tell you if the Atlanta Braves won last night. The Chabot conversation model below describes this constraint:

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-way-to-learn-and-write-a-AI-Chat-bot

 ChatBots also have numerous advantages: easy to build, natural interface via texting, fast response. They are able to recall everything you said earlier in the chat. In other words, you can quit, come back, then quit again, come back in several hours, and still get a comprehensive answer to your question. In the case of Siri or any other voice interpretation interface, such results are impossible.  With Google, Facebook, Microsoft and many other players developing the ChatBot capabilities very soon most assistance we receive will be from AI powered bots. The question is how do you make money, keep conversations secure, and stand out in the sea of others?