Robotic helpers are rapidly on the rise at technology companies
Facebook, Google, Microsoft and others turn to virtual problem-solving assistants
You may not have unwrapped a robot on Christmas, but your new year will be filled with artificial intelligence.
Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other technology companies, large and small, are making rapid advancements with virtual personal assistants that can solve problems and even complete tasks.
“We’re going to start to see more personal assistants, and the ones that are already online will get more useful,” said Brian Blau, an analyst at Gartner.
The assistants, sometimes referred to as “chatbots,” represent noteworthy advancements to computer programs that simulate conversations. Chatbots are not new — think Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortona.
But in 2016, you’ll encounter different, smarter varieties of chatbots, some appearing in your favourite social media applications.
“Chatbots are designed to answer questions, to perform searches, to interact with you in a very simple form, such as jokes or weather,” said Brian Solis, principal analyst with Altimeter Group.
“Ultimately, they should be able to anticipate your needs and help you shop.”
These robot helpers are also expected to assume more humanlike qualities in 2016, exchanging messages in a conversational style rather than a computer’s mechanical responses.
The human side of chatbots will be most apparent in mobile messaging applications such as Facebook Messenger, where the social network has already begun perfecting its own virtual assistant called “M.”
M, first released to a small number of Messenger users in August, can strike up a conversation or crack a joke — but also book travel, make purchases or wait on hold with the cable company when you’re not in the mood.
Powered by both artificial intelligence and actual humans (who help train the digital robots), M is the digital equivalent of a secretary or hotel concierge. The persona was originally code-named “Moneypenny” after the fictional character in James Bond films.
Google is also working to add question-and-answer computer programs inside a messaging app, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. Google is likely motivated by a desire to gain ground in the mobile messaging realm, where rivals such as Facebook are far more dominant. The company also has a financial interest to remain at the forefront of Internet search, a behaviour that, on smartphones, has migrated away from the traditional search engine.
Mobile messaging apps, meanwhile, are on the fast track to a billion users, growing so fast that they’re overshadowing social networking as a favourite smartphone activity with youngsters.
“If you look at what the youngest tech generation is doing . . . it’s more about Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger than it is with pure-play social networking,” Blau said. “That is where the future is.” Forty-nine per cent of smartphone owners ages 18 to 29 use messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Kik or iMessage, according to a Pew Research Center report published in August. The activity appeals to older genera- tions as well. Some 37 per cent of smartphone owners age 30 to 49 and 24 per cent of those ages 50 and older use mobile messaging apps, Pew found.
Facebook Messenger is used by more than 700 million people each month. WhatsApp, also owned by Facebook, has more than 900 million monthly users.
As audiences grow, American companies are taking inspiration from hit Asian messaging services, where humanlike chatbots such as Microsoft’s Xiaoice (meaning “little Bing”) have already proved popular. The American variety of artificial intelligence and automated assistance currently centres around shopping — for good reason. That’s where the money is.
The constraints of messaging apps make them ideal breeding grounds for bots still in their intellectual infancy. Plus, the medium is suited for concierge-like treatment, which more of us, particularly younger folks, are beginning to expect from our apps.