This the age of AI. Artificial intelligence software is integrated into almost everything. So called smart tech loves it, giving consumers a virtual assistant to offer hands-free management. Chatbots have been around for a while, most beginning their lives in the customer service department. AI has been managing automatic payments, making service announcements, and informing people of movie times since the 00’s. The advances of technology have enabled chatbots to do a whole lot more, but they are still pretty restricted in their ability to form actual conversations.
Chatbots
Chatbots are an official way of saying talking robots. They are assistant based programs designed to “talk back” to user commands. Chatbox framework is the platform of prompts designers create for AI to talk back to. These prompts are usually activated by key words. Many chatbots disclose the key words in their opening prompts, allowing users to progress through their administrative services. These are the ones relegated to customer service. They are key in thinning out service calls so that more complex matters can be administered by real people. Many find them annoying because of the difficulty in understanding certain prompts although that has gotten better. Smartphone AI has a wider berth of responses to match the unbridled access smartphones provide.
Today every single smartphone, tablet, and modern laptop/desktop comes factory loaded with its own digital assistant. Such assistants provide hands-free activation, searching, and even diagnostic checks. They respond to prompts, and even have the capacity for humorous returns. But these are once again mapped to user responses of which there are many. Some digital AIs can even interact with other platforms. Many programmers have gone out of their way to increase the number of commands AIs can respond to. They have even tried to work in NLU, natural language understanding. Still, AIs are relegated to one-off responses without the ability to actually converse. Good news for those fearful of the beginnings of Skynet, AI at this point is nothing more than a voice assistant.
App Usage and Smart Speakers
The biggest development in AI at present is its use in smartphone apps and talking speakers. Voice activated technology is present in a lot of digital software and has unparalleled possibilities. First and foremost being ease of access as voice AI does away with physical input. The main iteration is talking speakers, or smart speakers, that instigate web searches and play music. Smart speakers can also set reminders, act as timers, and answer questions using internet searches. Some have even been able to integrate with other software to control various devices though those are on the fringe. The end goal is for AI to become synonymous with actual human speech so that it is hard to tell the difference. This would allow AI to extend its service to many other avenues even to the point of companionship. The latest AI to AI conversations shows that the road is still long, but at least some distance is being made.