With the sudden surge in investments going into chatbots, is it possible that they might become the new apps? Will chatbots replace apps? is it the next big thing since the App Store?

1. ARE CHATBOTS THE
NEW APPS?
PRASHANTH N
BHARATHIDASAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT,TRICHY

2. WHAT ARE CHATBOTS?
• Chatbots are computer programs designed to
simulate a conversation
• They are based on Artificial Intelligence and
Machine Learning algorithms
• They can be used to order online,check the weather
and news amongst other applications.
• They are being called CONVERSATIONAL
ASSISTANTS.

3. We want to be there for our users asking them “Hi, how can we help?”
-Sundar Pichai, CEO Google
We think that you should be able to message a business the same way
you would message a friend.
- Mark Zuckerberg, CEO Facebook
A personal digital assistant that knows you and is with you across all
your devices.
- Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft

4. • The three tech giants are betting a lot on
chatbots
• Facebook messenger wants businesses to get
on board their platform to enable them to
converse with their customers
• Chatbots have the potential to become the
online sales person for a company by giving
personalise and curated responses

5. • They know your habits, who your friends are and other
personal information by looking into your social feeds.
• They can mimic you in a conversation and reply when you
are not available in your place.
• They can enter a conversation you are having with another
human and help you enhance the conversation by throwing
up suggestions.
- You are conversing with your friend and decide to catch
up on the weekend. The bot knows your calendar and
automatically throws up a suggested time. Then it asks if
you want to book a table at your favourite sushi restaurant.
• It is able to do all this because it is constantly studying you
and your behaviour and knows everything about you.

9. IS THIS THE FUTURE?
• Companies are investing into chatbots.
• Platforms like Facebook messenger and
Microsoft Cortana are looking to get businesses
on board
• It costs lesser to develop and maintain a chatbot
than to create an app

10. • The customer is empowered as she does not
have to install an app for every business she
interacts with.
• The bot already knows everything about her and
makes it easier to interact with the businesses.
• A chatbot of a not for profit agency helped
160,000 people avoid their parking tickets in the
UK.
• Chatbots are being used to interview candidates
for initial screening eliminating biases which are
unavoidable with human beings.

11. • They help in eliminating man hours being wasted
in answering redundant, repetitive questions in
call centres.
• They are going to take over a lot of jobs.
• They are the new salesperson for the digital
channel
• Mike Stern the Co-Founder of Connected Labs
which is working with Amazon and Google in
building chatbots believes that they will help
replacing clerical jobs with more interesting
intellectual jobs

12. Conclusion
• Chatbots might be the next BIG thing since the App Store
• They might even replace traditional websites
• But can they replicate a human being? The subjectivity which is the
most important characteristic of a human being will be missing.
• Chatbots do not think. They study human responses and replicate them
at the appropriate place.
• Chatbots are not robust. They learn with time. The more conversations
you have, the better it becomes and more accurate its suggestions are.
• It will take time to understand the full potential of chatbots, but they are
definitely the new apps and companies should start investing in them.