As the world moves into the era of conversational user interfaces, chat bots have taken the world by a storm. However, if you have been around for a long time you would remember one of the oldest bots on AIM messenger, the Smarter Child. Over time with the advancement of technology the complexity and usefulness of chat bots have greatly improved with newer bots that cater to specific needs. The evolution is so immense that it has given rise to bots showcasing their own unique personalities. Take the instance of bots like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, bots can now perform a large number of tasks and replicate an almost human like interaction across the board.
With Facebook announcing Messenger bots at the F8 conference, companies all around the globe have been rushing to create their own versions that fulfill a certain criteria of interaction. From booking flights to restaurant reservations, bots are capable of providing a seamless interaction keeping the user hooked to its conversations and provides businesses the opportunity to interact with their users in a revolutionary manner.
For many businesses, the chat bot can provide a consistent tone of voice and serve as a “friend” to rely on for various suggestions and queries. The bot can be imagined as being the front desk executive’s online solving problems one chat at a time.
With the technology surrounding bots improving each day, the future seems promising for chat bots. However, it is important to note that a chat bot cannot be a complete replacement for human interaction unless the bots are developed to understand the nuances of human behavior including quirks like spelling errors or sarcasm. Until then, developers may draw a line where the bot conversation ends and human interaction takes over to seal the deal.