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Ubisoft's AI-powered gaming assistant is now available
We got a sneak peek at Ubisoft's gamer-centric virtual assistant this past January, but it was only out in Canada in a sort of soft launch. Now, the helpful chatbot named Sam — part of the Ubisoft Club mobile app — is available to everyone worldwide, but still only in English.
Rob LeFebvre05.23.2018
Microsoft AI knows when to (politely) interrupt conversations
Most AI assistants can't really hold a conversation. They're fine with I-go-you-go dialogue, but most humans aren't quite so timid -- they know when to interrupt, and when to restart chat when there's an awkward pause. Microsoft wants to fix that. It just upgraded its Xiaolce chatbot AI with "full duplex" conversation that lets it start speaking when it's listening to what you're saying. As it can predict what you're likely to say next, it knows when to interrupt you with important info or say something more when both sides suddenly go quiet. Think of it as that friend who knows when to speak up without being overly rude.
Jon Fingas04.04.2018
Facebook tries giving chatbots a consistent personality
Dig into the personalities of chat bots and you'll find that they're about as shallow as they were in the days of Eliza or Dr. Sbaitso. They respond with canned phrases and tend to be blithely unaware of what you've said. Facebook wants to fix that. Its research team has tested a new approach that gives bots more consistent personalities and more natural responses. Facebook taught its AI to look for patterns in a special 164,000-utterance data set, Persona-Chat, that included a handful of facts about a given bot's persona. An AI trying to mimic a real person would have five biographical statements to work with, such as its family and hobbies, with each of them revised to say the same things in a different way. Train existing chat bots from that and you get AI that 'knows' what it likes, but still maintains the context of a conversation and speaks relatively fluently.
Jon Fingas01.28.2018
Google Assistant can help troubleshoot your Pixel 2 phone
Plenty of companies offer chat support to troubleshoot problems with your phone. But do you really want to talk to another human for what could be a simple fix? You don't have to... if you have a Pixel 2. Android Police has discovered that you can ask Google Assistant for help with battery issues. Ask why your battery isn't charging properly and the AI companion will not only run a diagnostics check, but look for particularly power-hungry apps. It offers to connect you to Google's chat or phone support if it can't answer your questions in one shot, although problems in the AP test suggest this component isn't ready for prime time.
Jon Fingas11.17.2017
Microsoft's Cortana finds answers inside your Skype chats
You can already count on a dash of AI assistance in some mobile messaging apps, whether it's Google Assistant in Allo or the smart replies you find across iOS. But what if Skype is your chat app of choice? You're covered: as of today, Microsoft is rolling out its Cortana assistant to the Skype apps for Android and iOS. You can talk directly to Cortana if you want to ask about directions, flights or the weather, but it promises to be the biggest help inside your normal conversations.
Jon Fingas10.09.2017
Apple Music tunes are now available inside Facebook Messenger
We've known for a while that both Spotify and Apple Music were coming to Facebook Messenger. Spotify was integrated as a chat extension this past August with an AI-powered group playlist feature. Now Apple Music is getting its own presence as the streaming music service has officially launched inside the social network's Messenger system.
Rob LeFebvre10.05.2017
Facebook's 'M' AI assistant will help you choose a movie
Facebook had grand plans for its in-Messenger AI assistant, M, when it was launched in 2015. While the service hasn't quite yet lived up to the hype, the company is continually rolling out new features in a bid to make using it a fun experience, and to make it easier to get things done. From today, users in the US will see three new suggestions when using the app.
Rachel England09.21.2017
Facebook’s AI suggestions come to Messenger in the UK
According to Facebook, chatbots were going to change the way we get things done. Users were meant to be able to to buy flowers, order fast food and check in with their bank without ever having to leave the Messenger app. The company quickly dialed back its enthusiasm, admitting that they were somewhat overhyped, but its core technology, M, still underpins Messenger today. Most of that functionality has been limited to the US, but this week Facebook has brought what it calls "M Suggestions" to the UK, allowing users to enjoy recommendations from its AI-powered personal assistant.
Matt Brian08.16.2017
Insurers increasingly use apps and drones instead of agents
Hobbyists aren't the only ones using the phone and drone cameras to explore the world in new ways, as insurance companies are increasingly opting for "virtual" or "touchless" handling of claims. The Wall Street Journal cites the 2017 Future of Claims Study survey by LexisNexis Risk Solutions (PDF) which found that 38 percent of insurers don't send employees out for physical inspections in at least some situations. One story mentioned says that Lemonade Insurance settled and paid out a claim in just three seconds using the AI bot connected to its app.
Richard Lawler08.05.2017
Chinese messaging app kills Microsoft's unpatriotic chatbot
A popular Chinese messaging app had to pull down two chatbots, not because they turned into racist and sexist bots like Microsoft's Tay and Zo did, but because they became unpatriotic. Tencent, one of the country's tech giants, removed the bots called BabyQ and XiaoBing from its messaging service QQ, which has over 800 million subscribers. According to Financial Times, they began spewing out responses that could be interpreted as anti-China or anti-Communist Party. For instance, when Beijing-based Turing Robot's Baby Q was asked if it loves the Communist Party, it answered with a resounding "No."
Mariella Moon08.04.2017
Recommended Reading: Instagram's influence on restaurants
Instagram Is Pushing Restaurants to Be Kitschy, Colorful and Irresistible to Photographers Casey Newton, The Verge It's no secret that Instagram is full of brunch pics and food porn, but restaurants have noticed the trend. The Verge details how food spots are catering to photo-happy eaters with interior design details, eye-catching spaces and the proper amount of light.
Billy Steele07.22.2017
SmartCar connects Facebook's chatbot to your Tesla
We've seen AI-powered chatbots for almost everything, and now a company called Smartcar has developed one specifically for Tesla electric vehicles. Owners can access any number of features via Tesla's mobile app, and by logging in via TeslaBot, they can pop open Facebook Messenger to ask questions or send commands. That's a pretty low bar for use, particularly compared to the Tesla app Smartcar's founder developed for Google Glass. Of course, most of us don't have a Tesla yet (at least until the Model 3 comes out), but we could see more tech like this quickly, as Smartcar is already working with Hyundai on its Ioniq platform.
Richard Lawler05.25.2017
'Actions on Google' lets app developers work inside Assistant
We've seen AI-powered chat bots spread across different services, but Google is opening up a way for more companies to get in on the action. With "Actions on Google," you can stay in your app (or talking to an Assistant-enabled device like Google Home) to do something like order food just by having a conversation. During a demo on stage at Google's I/O keynote today, the company showed off ordering delivery from Panera, without needing to enter your home address or payment information, or even create a specialized account.
Richard Lawler05.17.2017
Twitter wants you to slide into its DMs for account help
Ever wanted to have a private chat with Twitter to settle your burning questions? At last, you can. As hinted a few weeks ago, Twitter has started offering both tips and account help through direct messages to @support. You're talking to a chatbot and not a live human, but this could still help you deal with abuse, regain control of an account or offer feedback without scrounging around Twitter's website first. It certainly beats having to publicly mention the @support account and hope for the best. Just don't expect them to give you an edit button and you'll be set.
Jon Fingas05.16.2017
Immigration chat bot can help you with the H-1B visa
When Visabot went live last November, the Facebook Messenger-based artificial intelligence attempted to simplify the US visa application process and help many people skip the fees associated with a visit to an immigration lawyer. At the time, however, Visabot's conversational approach only supported two types of visas for travel or "exceptional individuals." Now, as promised, Visabot support is adding support for the H-1B visa transfers and applications that many Silicon Valley companies rely on for attracting talent.
Andrew Dalton03.28.2017
Building your own chatbot is a lot easier than you'd expect
Three of the undisputed kings of technology -- Microsoft, Facebook and Google -- all bet big on bots in 2016. It's too early to say whether that was a good move, but if nothing else it's clear that bots haven't seen mainstream adoption yet. If you're a believer in the technology and want to start building your own bots before everyone is doing the same, the just-launched Dexter platform might be worth checking out. I'm no coder, but a quick demo had me building some very simple and pointless bots -- but nonetheless, I was building within minutes.
Nathan Ingraham03.12.2017
Google is ready to take over your office chat with Hangouts
Google's work of transitioning Hangouts from being its default chat app to a more business focus is nearly complete. First up is the formally announced Hangouts Meet. Sound familiar? That's because it semi-officially arrived at the first of the month. Now Google is ready to take it wide. At its core, Meet is all about making video conferencing faster and easier. That comes down to not needing any special software or logins for video chat -- just a shared link. No WiFi? No problem because people can dial in with a dedicated phone number too. So long as their organization is a G Suite Enterprise customer, of course. Meet will support video calls with up to 30 people.
Timothy J. Seppala03.09.2017
Parking ticket chat bot now helps refugees claim asylum
Joshua Browder's chat bot lawyer, DoNotPay, is clearly multi-talented -- after getting people out of parking fines, it's now helping refugees find a home in a new country. Browder has adapted the AI to offer aid to asylum seekers in the US and Canada, and asylum support in the UK. The Facebook Messenger bot turns the asylum application process into a series of simple questions. Once you've finished, you'll have a filled form ready to go. Refugees in the UK still have to apply in person, but those in the US and Canada are largely set once they've finished the conversation.
Jon Fingas03.06.2017
Facebook Messenger bots are going to get a lot more verbose
Facebook's next updates for Messenger have a big focus on bots. Yep, Zuck is still trying to make "fetch" happen with those. Anyhow, the newest bits for the platform are mostly about letting others know that a bit of text originated from. That means from a shared bit of bot text will allow you to start a conversation with said bot from your existing conversation window. Even if you're using Messenger from desktop. In addition to a bunch of other developer-centric notes is word that the bot text limit has been doubled. So yeah, jumping from 320 characters to 640 means that the bots are about to get a lot more chatty.
Timothy J. Seppala03.05.2017
UK health service to trial chatbot that gives medical advice
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is to begin trialing a chatbot app for dispensing medical advice, with the aim of reducing the burden on its 111 non-emergency helpline. The 111 service went live in 2013, and serves as the first port of call for urgent advice in cases where it's likely overkill to scream for an ambulance right away -- if you've misread a prescription and taken more pills than you should've, for example. The AI-powered app could become another alternative, questioning users about their medical matter and symptoms before suggesting the best course of action.
Jamie Rigg01.05.2017