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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.
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."
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.
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.
'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Facebook Messenger test hints at a bigger role for AI
Facebook wants its M chat assistant to be useful for much more than shopping and travel recommendations. It's testing an M suggestions feature that has the artificial intelligence offer actions depending on the circumstances in your chat. Some will be familiar: if a friend asks where you are, it'll give you a Google Hangouts-style opportunity to share your location. Others are more creative, such as suggesting stickers in response to common phrases like "thanks."
Microsoft will give Skype chatbots a voice next year
Not content with just stuffing Cortana into your home appliances, Microsoft now wants you to have real conversations with needy Skype bots. In a bid to make those awkward chatbot encounters feel more natural, next year will see the company granting third parties access to its Skype calling API. With this, Microsoft partners like StubHub and Expedia will be able to give their bots a voice, offering users an alternative to text chat.
Microsoft's second try at social chat bots arrives in Kik
Microsoft's first foray into social chat bots didn't go so well given that propensity for racist diatribes. It's giving the concept another try, however, and this time it promises to be more successful. Twitter user Tom Hounsell has noticed the existence of Zo, a Microsoft chat bot currently being tested in the messaging app Kik. Effectively, Zo looks like an English-language version of Microsoft's existing Chinese bot, Xiaoce. After briefly gauging your personality, it'll participate in conversations like an overexcited teenager. The bot is far from perfect, but that's what's testing is for, isn't it?
IBM's Watson is lending its smarts to Slack and its chat bot
Slack is going to tap into IBM pet Watson and its cognitive computing skills, covering both bots and other conversation inferences. Slack's own Slackbot will be the first to get the intelligence makeover, with IBM and Slack looking to share what they learn from the experience with other developers. The companies believe integrating Watson will improve accuracy and efficiency of troubleshooting with the bot. IBM is also working on a Watson-powered Slack chatbot specifically for IT and network issues.
Twitter helps you register to vote through direct messages
Twitter is joining the ranks of internet outlets helping you exercise your right to vote. It's allying with Rock the Vote to launch a feature that helps you register in the US through a simple chat assistant. All you do is send a direct message to Twitter Government (@gov) and punch in your ZIP code when asked -- the account will tell you how to register, including a web link for signing up online. If you're a first-time voter and aren't eager to navigate websites to get answers, this could come in handy.
Brits, say Allo to Google's new messaging app
You might think that between your family thread on Facebook Messenger, your various friend groups on WhatsApp, and the trusted text a few acquaintances still insist on using, you've got all possible lines of communication covered. But spare a thought for Allo, Google's latest attempt to be more than just a fringe player in messaging. Allo made its debut on far-flung shores earlier this week, but as of today it's now available in the UK for Android and iOS.
Allo brings Google's 'Assistant' to your phone today
If you're going to unveil a new messaging app, it had better do something unique. At this point, finding a place amongst entrenched options like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and iMessage is not an easy task. Google didn't quite pull it off with Hangouts when it launched in 2013. Sure, it's installed on basically every Android phone out there and anyone with a Gmail account has probably tried it, but Google's messaging strategy never quite came together in a compelling or clear way. So Google is rebooting yet again with Allo, a mobile-only messaging app that leverages the company's biggest strengths in an effort to stand out from the pack. That strength is the vast amount of knowledge Google has about you and the world around you. It shows up in the app via the Google Assistant, a conversational chatbot that provides you and your friends with contextual info based on your chat history. The bot will show up across multiple Google products, including Google Home, but this is our first look at it in action.
Facebook Messenger has an unreleased public chat feature
Facebook's lovable but unfortunately short-lived standalone Rooms app might see the light of day again -- in some form at least. According to TechCrunch, Facebook Messenger has an unreleased feature, also called "Rooms," that allow users to create public, sharable group chats
