You know that age-old joke about how one day, ‘in the future’, robots and artificial intelligence will take over the more mundane roles of humans? Well everyone. The. Time. Is. Now. And they’re doing a bloody good job of it.
I like Diet Coke. Probably a bit too much – I don’t actually drink anything else. I know, I know. But anyway, I’ve come up with this theory in my head that if Diet Coke run a competition then I’ve got a decent chance of winning since I go through about four bottles each day.
I haven’t won anything yet.
Anyway, their current competition is to win Premier League tickets. Now I like a good game of football and I support Wolves (who are in the Premier League if you aren’t a footie head) – so I’m definitely interested in this comp. All you have to do is peel off the label around the bottle and find the special code, then send a Facebook message to Coca-Cola—wait, what? Send a Facebook message?!
Yeah.
I literally went on to their Facebook page, opened a Messenger window, and followed the instructions. Coca-Cola spoke back to me. Instantly. And when I got my next bottle I just re-opened the chat and chucked another code at my new friend. He dealt with it immediately. A few of my friends* could definitely learn something from this guy.
The thing is, this chatbot system was both quick, simple, interesting and effective for me as a consumer. For Coca-Cola, well they’re laughing. They’ve got access to my Facebook! #DidSomeoneSayDataCollection
So what was this sorcery that I’d experienced? Chatbots aren’t really new anymore, but the way they’re being used by companies is certainly developing quickly – and new uses for them are cropping up all the time.
It got me thinking about how this level of artificial intelligence is developing, and so I did some digging. I’m genuinely blown away by some of the stuff I found. The future’s here, peeps.
Bold360
This bot is designed for business purposes, and it’s so ridiculously smart that you’ve probably engaged in conversation with one – without even realising it. It can remember full conversations, speak naturally, and have its own personality. I can see a late night Channel 4 game show coming on… #ChatRoomOrChatBot
Insomnobot3000
Casper made this one (no, not the friendly ghost), and it’s for people with insomnia. Its purpose isn’t to sell you stuff or give you overly chatty customer service – it’s there to help reduce the loneliness that insomniacs can experience. Of course, the question then becomes: would you rather be lonely, or have a robot for company? Potato, potahto.
Ada
This is something a little different. It’s a completely free app that you can download on iOS and Android, with no ads, that works as a virtual GP. The user interface is gorgeous and simplistic, and it’s extremely well built. It also asks extremely detailed questions – and has an excellent track record if the reviews are anything to go by. Of course, if you’re ever concerned about your mental or physical health you should always go to your GP and see a qualified doctor.
Mitsuku
I’m gonna leave you with this one because it’s easily the most fun, and you’ll probably want to go off and have a chat with Mitsuku for yourself. She’s a conversational chatbot and has won developers Pandorabots the Loebner Prize Turing Test four times, as well as being featured by names such as the BBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and The Times.
And here’s a final, final thought: do you have a business? Could you benefit from using a chatbot on your website or Facebook page? Maybe having a computer-generated person deal with booking appointments for you or answering FAQs would be useful? Have a look into getting one – they save a lot of time, provide a decent and effective experience for customers, and let’s face it, they’re just damn cool.
*Actually, I’m probably the worst for replying quickly. You can go months waiting for a message back from me.
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