10 comments

  • John PJohn P, over 4 years ago

    Dumbest fad I've seen in a long long time. Really hope this is the beginning of the crash.

    11 points
  • Mattan IngramMattan Ingram, over 4 years ago

    Chat bots are a bare hint at what web bots really could be.

    I don't want each service to have a bot that I talk to, I want my OWN bot who knows me well and reaches out to services or does tasks for me.

    The same bot that drives my car should also do my taxes.

    3 points
  • Jonathan ShariatJonathan Shariat, over 4 years ago (edited over 4 years ago )

    I think chat-bots do guided content well. Yes, googling something youre looking for is much faster, and with a better experience on Google but when youre not sure what you are looking for, or want someone to guide you to the right content, chat-bots shine.

    A great example of this is the Quartz app. I've had a news app on my phone always but ever since I installed the Quartz app, I use them less because I would rather have Quartz walk me through the news of the day, and help me digest it.

    3 points
  • Wes OudshoornWes Oudshoorn, over 4 years ago

    My prediction for chat bots is that they will become increasingly smart and concise to the point where they return results like Google does.

    I think chat bots have a good application for collaborative queries. Booking something together, shopping together, etc. This is currently hard to do and involves sending a lot of links back and forth. Doing this within the context of a conversation would be great.

    1 point
    • Ariel VerberAriel Verber, over 4 years ago

      collaborative queries is an interesting concept indeed! meekan is a great use-case for a chat-bot imo.

      2 points
    • John PJohn P, over 4 years ago (edited over 4 years ago )

      and concise to the point where they return results like Google does

      It's still going to be surrounded with needless fluff and whimsy though, even if poncho was even half as good at telling you the weather as googling "weather" is then it still needs to have it's tweet little chat with you making it less useful than just googling weather… or you know looking out of the window.

      Think it's a good demonstration of how lame this natural language tech really is if all people can ever think to do with it is check the weather,set timers and listen to le XD so XD funny XD alexa easter eggs XD XDXDXDXD

      0 points
      • Wes OudshoornWes Oudshoorn, over 4 years ago

        I think we are heading into a period where things like VR, natural language interfaces and AI is really awkward. But then companies are going to start getting it right.

        I think these are fields not a single company can ignore, but you should be wary of implementing it at the core of your product unless you're willing to make a big bet.

        0 points
  • Pierre de MillyPierre de Milly, over 4 years ago (edited over 4 years ago )

    A good question to ask yourself when thinking about building a chatbot: is this something that people did through talking with someone else at some point in history?

    For instance:

    • customer service: obvious
    • news: people often learn about news through conversations with others
    • music: i do get plenty of music recommendation from chatting with my friends
    • weather: nope
    • etc.
    1 point
  • Taylor PalmerTaylor Palmer, over 4 years ago

    I don't think we really understand how to use bots yet.

    Buying shoes from a bot is not a great experience. It's like the option between looking at shoes on a shelf or having the describe shoes you like to an employee. I'd rather just look, and choose.

    0 points