This tutorial will get you started with creating applications for the Google Home by helping you create your first "Action" which you can deploy on your device.

1. Building Google Home Applications
Using DialogFlow
Alex Austin
November 2017

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Overview
• Computer interaction via natural language (voice, chatbot) is growing
– U.S.: 20% use phone voice assistants; 10% use stand-alone devices (Home, Echo)
• Machine learning drives success & growth in this space
– Free tools exist to learn & build, with no programming experience required
• Google Home and Amazon echo have two types of voice applications:
– Built in: Check the weather, set a timer, play music, etc.
– 3rd Party Applications:
• Check my bank balance
• Order an Uber
• Anything else you come up with – We’ll learn how today !

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Tools to get started
• Go to DialogFlow, create an account, and log in - https://dialogflow.com/
• We’ll cover the basics today, and this video is also a great walkthrough
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SUAuy9OJg4
• Basic Terminology:
– Agent – Voice applications are known as ‘Agents’ in API.AI
– Intent – A certain thing you want your agent to do
– Entity – A list of objects that your agent will recognize as inputs from the user
• Example: For this tutorial, we’ll create an Agent that tells you what
meeting rooms are near your team
– Agent Name: “example_rooms_near_me”
– Intent example: “list rooms near 3500 block”
– Entity example: “teams_in_3500”
• e.g. Marketing, Operations, Design, etc.

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Create Agent: Click the drop down in top left, create new agent, give
it a name and description, then save

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Create an entity: Give it a name, list a few values, and hit save

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Create an intent request: Give it a name, and type an example user
request. Note that API.AI recognizes and defines the entity from user

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Create the intent response: Scroll down and define how you want
your agent to respond when this intent is requested. You can call the
user’s input parameter using the dollar sign “$”

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Push live & test: You can push your agent live across many
applications. Click “actions on google” and follow prompts to test on
the Google Home simulator

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Your Agent is working! Now you can enhance it with training, pre-
built intent additions, and backend fulfillment

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Training: Constantly improve your agent by assigning the right
intent or entity when it encounters a question it can’t answer

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Prebuilt Agents: Instantly add functionality to your agent with
API.AI’s suit of pre-built intents – add weather, small talk, and more

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Backend Fulfillment: Connect your agent to a database, website, or anything
accessible via API. You can use the ‘webhook’ feature to make an API call
for additional info (aka ‘connect the backend’)
**I recommend getting your first agent running and tested without using a webhook (focus of this training).
After that, connecting to backend via webhook is a great step 2 – we’ll tackle this in a separate training session.
• Or, check out this link for a detailed tutorial: https://docs.api.ai/docs/webhook#webhook-example

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As we’ve seen, you can create an agent in less than an hour;
Try creating one of these and impress your family & friends
• Chores agent:
– Intent: “Who should take out the trash?”
– Text Response: Return a random family members name
• Office agent:
– Intent: “When does the morning bus run?”
– Intent: “Which cafeteria should we go to for lunch?”
• Fun fact:
– Intent: “Tell me a fun fact about $family_members_name”
– Text Response: Return a random fact about the family member requested
• Other ideas for work, home, fun ??

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Appendix

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User Request
Interaction Model
(for your Application)
Backend
How does it work?
• Voice (Echo, Home)
• Chat-bot
– Facebook
– Slack
• Intent
– What user wants to do
• Sample Utterances
– How they request it
• Execution Logic
– Code to fulfill request
• Database
• Website
• Anything connected to
the internet..

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User Request Interaction Model Backend
How do we do it?
• Voice
• Chat-bot
• Intent
• Sample Utterances
• Execution Logic
• Anything on the
internet
Machine Learning API ConnectionsKeys to success:
API.AI Web InterfaceTools for this demo: “Webhook” API call

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20% of Americans leverage voice on mobile phone, while 10%
leverage in-home voice devices; large YoY growth seen for in-home
Mobile Phone: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Alexa-Say-What-Voice-Enabled-Speaker-Usage-Grow-Nearly-130-This-Year/1015812
Mobile Search: 20% of Mobile Queries are generated by Voice.
Echo / Home Users: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-echo-vs-google-home-sales-estimates-chart-2017-5
Echo Growth: http://www.geekwire.com/2016/amazon-holiday-sales-numbers/ ; http://www.geekwire.com/2016/amazon-echo-sales-reach-5m-two-
years-research-firm-says-google-competitor-enters-market/