The document discusses the current state of conversational interfaces such as chatbots and voice assistants, noting that while early versions were limited, recent advances in artificial intelligence, data availability, and user expectations have created new opportunities for conversational interfaces to become more useful. However, conversational interfaces still have limitations and work best when focused on simple, well-defined tasks rather than attempting to replace more complex interactions or functions better suited to humans. Designing effective conversational interfaces requires keeping interactions simple, clearly setting user expectations, and in some cases, involving human assistance.
Conversational intelligence builds on the advancements in artificial intelligence and cognitive computing to help organisations to lower costs, lower risk, and increase value. This is achieved through a variety of outcomes, such as enhancing engagement through providing personalized understanding, scaling and elevating human expertise, infusing products and services with contextually aware knowledge, enabling automated, intelligent business process and powering the ability for disruptive data discovery and exploration that have otherwise eluded organisations for decades.
Conversations play an important role in building these relationships, but they are increasingly taking on digital forms, which are very hard to track. These conversations hold valuable information, but how can companies extract actionable insights? What role does Conversational Intelligence play?
Listen to an interview that Founder & CEO Neil Movold did with B2M's Simon Fawkes on the subject of Conversational Intelligence and the answers to these questions.
https://b2m.co.nz/conversational-intelligence/
Artificial Intelligence as an Interface - How Conversation Bots Are Changing ...Sage Franch
With the rise of machine learning and artificial intelligence, chat bots have become increasingly used as core elements of our interactions with technology. Ranging from simple FAQ bots to advanced human-like conversational AI, chat bots are changing the way we use, view, and build technology. In this lecture, Microsoft Tech Evangelist Sage Franch will explore today’s ecosystem of intelligent bots, detail the process of building a chat bot from concept to training and deployment, and take a glimpse into the future of conversations as a platform.
The Chatbot Imperative: Intelligence, Personalization and Utilitarian DesignCognizant
To boost business outcomes and deliver superior experiences, chatbots must quickly deliver responses that speak directly to individual human needs and apply meaningful responses to evolving requirements over time.
Tarama is a futurist with love of data and passion for marketing results. In 2012, her company Adobe started actively mining its wealth of data, to discover trends and perspectives of interest to marketers, most of whom were (and still are) struggling to get ahead of what is happening in the digital marketplace. They wondered: Is there anything that would better prepare marketers for this very challenging and ever-changing new world? Tamara Gaffney will show some of her findings and explain how every company can do marketing that is useful and how marketers can do better.
GAFAnomics: Using APIs to gain unfair competitive advantage in the network ec...Fabernovel
At FABERNOVEL, we’re convinced APIs are a powerful lever for traditional companies willing to enter and thrive in a world dominated by the GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple), Unicorns (Uber, Airbnb…), Chinese giants (Alibaba, Tencent…) and all similar actors that have deeply changed the way goods and services are produced, shared and distributed.
As outlined in our latest study, these new players share one common feature: they’re all structured as networks, connecting individuals, businesses, information and goods to one another.
Conversational intelligence builds on the advancements in artificial intelligence and cognitive computing to help organisations to lower costs, lower risk, and increase value. This is achieved through a variety of outcomes, such as enhancing engagement through providing personalized understanding, scaling and elevating human expertise, infusing products and services with contextually aware knowledge, enabling automated, intelligent business process and powering the ability for disruptive data discovery and exploration that have otherwise eluded organisations for decades.
Conversations play an important role in building these relationships, but they are increasingly taking on digital forms, which are very hard to track. These conversations hold valuable information, but how can companies extract actionable insights? What role does Conversational Intelligence play?
Listen to an interview that Founder & CEO Neil Movold did with B2M's Simon Fawkes on the subject of Conversational Intelligence and the answers to these questions.
https://b2m.co.nz/conversational-intelligence/
Artificial Intelligence as an Interface - How Conversation Bots Are Changing ...Sage Franch
With the rise of machine learning and artificial intelligence, chat bots have become increasingly used as core elements of our interactions with technology. Ranging from simple FAQ bots to advanced human-like conversational AI, chat bots are changing the way we use, view, and build technology. In this lecture, Microsoft Tech Evangelist Sage Franch will explore today’s ecosystem of intelligent bots, detail the process of building a chat bot from concept to training and deployment, and take a glimpse into the future of conversations as a platform.
The Chatbot Imperative: Intelligence, Personalization and Utilitarian DesignCognizant
To boost business outcomes and deliver superior experiences, chatbots must quickly deliver responses that speak directly to individual human needs and apply meaningful responses to evolving requirements over time.
Tarama is a futurist with love of data and passion for marketing results. In 2012, her company Adobe started actively mining its wealth of data, to discover trends and perspectives of interest to marketers, most of whom were (and still are) struggling to get ahead of what is happening in the digital marketplace. They wondered: Is there anything that would better prepare marketers for this very challenging and ever-changing new world? Tamara Gaffney will show some of her findings and explain how every company can do marketing that is useful and how marketers can do better.
GAFAnomics: Using APIs to gain unfair competitive advantage in the network ec...Fabernovel
At FABERNOVEL, we’re convinced APIs are a powerful lever for traditional companies willing to enter and thrive in a world dominated by the GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple), Unicorns (Uber, Airbnb…), Chinese giants (Alibaba, Tencent…) and all similar actors that have deeply changed the way goods and services are produced, shared and distributed.
As outlined in our latest study, these new players share one common feature: they’re all structured as networks, connecting individuals, businesses, information and goods to one another.
How AI will transform mobile, apps, and marketing: 50 influencers speakTUNE
2017 is the year Artificial Intelligence will make huge inroads on business, marketing, and our tools. 50 influencers and experts like Joel Comm, Bryan Kramer, and Tamara McCleary share their predictions.
A strategic overview of developing for Chrome on Android and native on Android. Touching on the migration from the open web to walled gardens of applications.
Hot off the Crowd // January 2016 FABERNOVEL's watch based on crowdfunding a...Fabernovel
ASSISTED HUMANS, AUTONOMOUS OBJECTS
This Hot Off the Crowd edition was fueled by months of investigation and daily discoveries on the leading crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platforms: Kickstarter, Indiegogo, AngelList, Product Hunt, Crunchbase…
At FABERNOVEL, we truly believe that we all need to monitor the latest technological gems, trends and developments from these sites, it’s the most useful way to understand what’s going on before taking action.
Mobile is not primarily mobile in the sense of "on the go" - but most businesses treat the "mobile OS" activities like that. 7 early conclusions that help to get the right perspective in "mobile" digital marketing.
Discover the 10 webdesign trends of 2014 according to Vanksen, the digital native agency
This presentation is also available in french : https://fr.slideshare.net/Vanksen/les-10-tendances-webdesign-de-2014-by-vanksen
This presentation created for the APIdays Barcelona 2016 http://mediterranea.apidays.io offers you the business proposition of why — no matter what your API is — you should be considering turning it into a chatbot, connecting to a chatbot and just leveraging the omnipresence of messenger apps in our lives, as chatbots will take over mobile apps. Be the first to take advantage!
More info on the author Jennifer Riggins at http://ebranding.ninja
We are now living in times where messaging context is slowly becoming a new model of publishing. Conversational apps grow faster than social networks.
Hence our interest and new report around the topic of CHATBOTS.
“App fatigue is real” and using a chatbot for building a relationship with customers feels more accessible, as it is like talking to a “real” person while an intimate, one-on-one interaction which is de-cluttering our mobile experience at the same time. It is also just cheaper to prototype an build a chatbot service rather than create a standalone smartphone app for a brand or business. If done right, it can definitely deepen meaningful relationships.
Global Messaging Trends 2 - When are chatbots actually useful?Andrew Schorr
Put aside the hype, and there's a lot to get excited about for the future of chatbots. It's about decreased effort and real intelligence. Keynote address at CHat Shanghai Conference, September 2016.
Progressive Mobile Strategy Redux: The Future Friendly EnterpriseDave Olsen
A common refrain from both management and clients alike today (still!) is, "We need an app...." Unfortunately, over the long-term, mobile solutions will need to be more diversified than a single app or even a single platform. Not only will your customers be affected by the rapid adoption of smartphones but also your workforce and business processes. From optimizing web content to developing unique experiences mobile will touch and transform your entire enterprise. Together we’ll look ahead to see what kind of changes an enterprise needs to make to be future friendly.
This talk was presented at the Huawei Mobile Information Revolution Think Tank on November 19, 2015.
Using artificial intelligence and more specifically bots, in social media, communicating with customers and what its impact will be for humans in customer service.
Chatbots - What, Why and How? - Beerud ShethWithTheBest
Chat is the new mobile interface. 2.5 billion people have at least one messaging app such as Facebook messenger, whatsapp, and more. App boredom plus rise of messaging is driving a paradigm shift. Imagine ordering a cab, playing your favorite music, getting flight updates, buying new trainers all from within your favorite messaging app! Hear from the founder of world's leading bot platform- Gupshup and meet some really cool bots, created on his platform.
Beerud Sheth
How AI will transform mobile, apps, and marketing: 50 influencers speakTUNE
2017 is the year Artificial Intelligence will make huge inroads on business, marketing, and our tools. 50 influencers and experts like Joel Comm, Bryan Kramer, and Tamara McCleary share their predictions.
A strategic overview of developing for Chrome on Android and native on Android. Touching on the migration from the open web to walled gardens of applications.
Hot off the Crowd // January 2016 FABERNOVEL's watch based on crowdfunding a...Fabernovel
ASSISTED HUMANS, AUTONOMOUS OBJECTS
This Hot Off the Crowd edition was fueled by months of investigation and daily discoveries on the leading crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platforms: Kickstarter, Indiegogo, AngelList, Product Hunt, Crunchbase…
At FABERNOVEL, we truly believe that we all need to monitor the latest technological gems, trends and developments from these sites, it’s the most useful way to understand what’s going on before taking action.
Mobile is not primarily mobile in the sense of "on the go" - but most businesses treat the "mobile OS" activities like that. 7 early conclusions that help to get the right perspective in "mobile" digital marketing.
Discover the 10 webdesign trends of 2014 according to Vanksen, the digital native agency
This presentation is also available in french : https://fr.slideshare.net/Vanksen/les-10-tendances-webdesign-de-2014-by-vanksen
This presentation created for the APIdays Barcelona 2016 http://mediterranea.apidays.io offers you the business proposition of why — no matter what your API is — you should be considering turning it into a chatbot, connecting to a chatbot and just leveraging the omnipresence of messenger apps in our lives, as chatbots will take over mobile apps. Be the first to take advantage!
More info on the author Jennifer Riggins at http://ebranding.ninja
We are now living in times where messaging context is slowly becoming a new model of publishing. Conversational apps grow faster than social networks.
Hence our interest and new report around the topic of CHATBOTS.
“App fatigue is real” and using a chatbot for building a relationship with customers feels more accessible, as it is like talking to a “real” person while an intimate, one-on-one interaction which is de-cluttering our mobile experience at the same time. It is also just cheaper to prototype an build a chatbot service rather than create a standalone smartphone app for a brand or business. If done right, it can definitely deepen meaningful relationships.
Global Messaging Trends 2 - When are chatbots actually useful?Andrew Schorr
Put aside the hype, and there's a lot to get excited about for the future of chatbots. It's about decreased effort and real intelligence. Keynote address at CHat Shanghai Conference, September 2016.
Progressive Mobile Strategy Redux: The Future Friendly EnterpriseDave Olsen
A common refrain from both management and clients alike today (still!) is, "We need an app...." Unfortunately, over the long-term, mobile solutions will need to be more diversified than a single app or even a single platform. Not only will your customers be affected by the rapid adoption of smartphones but also your workforce and business processes. From optimizing web content to developing unique experiences mobile will touch and transform your entire enterprise. Together we’ll look ahead to see what kind of changes an enterprise needs to make to be future friendly.
This talk was presented at the Huawei Mobile Information Revolution Think Tank on November 19, 2015.
Using artificial intelligence and more specifically bots, in social media, communicating with customers and what its impact will be for humans in customer service.
Chatbots - What, Why and How? - Beerud ShethWithTheBest
Chat is the new mobile interface. 2.5 billion people have at least one messaging app such as Facebook messenger, whatsapp, and more. App boredom plus rise of messaging is driving a paradigm shift. Imagine ordering a cab, playing your favorite music, getting flight updates, buying new trainers all from within your favorite messaging app! Hear from the founder of world's leading bot platform- Gupshup and meet some really cool bots, created on his platform.
Beerud Sheth
The real shift in our communication with the computer systems has been happening recently in a major way – finally computer systems are learning to understand our language (so far we have been learning and communicating with computer systems in the languages they can understand). MS-Dos is history and we are now witnessing the emergence of applications that do not have GUI (Graphical User Interface) – namely Virtual Assistants, Invisible Apps, and Chatbots etc.
Chatbot development workshop with the Microsoft Bot Frameworkgjuljo
Develop a chatbot from zero to hero using the Microsoft Bot Framework in Node.js.
Full day workshop with step by step exercises (code on GitHub), including unit test, continuous integration and continuous deployment.
An Implementation of Voice Assistant for Hospitalitysipij
Voice user interface has gained popularity in the recent years. A chatbot is a machine with the ability to answer automatically through a conversational interface. Instead of using mouse and keyboards as input and screen as output, a chatbot with extra voice user interface feature improve the system and enhance the user experience. A chatbot is considered as one of the most exceptional and promising expressions of human computer interaction. Voice-based chatbots or artificial intelligence (AI) devices transform humancomputer bidirectional interactions that allow users to navigate an interactive voice response (IVR) system with their voice generally using natural language. In this paper, we focus on voice based chatbots for mediating interactions between hotels and guests from both the hospitality technology providers’ and guests’ perspectives. A hotel web application with voice user interface was implemented which provides voice input/output interface to enhance the user experience. Speech recognition component was used to dictate the user voice input to text. Speech synthesis API was used for text to voice conversion. A closed domain question answering (cdQA) Natural Language Processing (NLP) solution was used for processingof query and return the best answer possible.
An Implementation of Voice Assistant for Hospitalitysipij
Voice user interface has gained popularity in the recent years. A chatbot is a machine with the ability to
answer automatically through a conversational interface. Instead of using mouse and keyboards as input
and screen as output, a chatbot with extra voice user interface feature improve the system and enhance the
user experience. A chatbot is considered as one of the most exceptional and promising expressions of
human computer interaction. Voice-based chatbots or artificial intelligence (AI) devices transform humancomputer bidirectional interactions that allow users to navigate an interactive voice response (IVR) system
with their voice generally using natural language. In this paper, we focus on voice based chatbots for
mediating interactions between hotels and guests from both the hospitality technology providers’ and
guests’ perspectives. A hotel web application with voice user interface was implemented which provides
voice input/output interface to enhance the user experience. Speech recognition component was used to
dictate the user voice input to text. Speech synthesis API was used for text to voice conversion. A closed
domain question answering (cdQA) Natural Language Processing (NLP) solution was used for processingof
query and return the best answer possible.
The Chatbots Are Coming: A Guide to Chatbots, AI and Conversational InterfacesTWG
2016 is the year of all things conversational. Chatbots, suddenly, are everywhere. Driven by the explosion in popularity of messaging apps like Kik, Slack and Facebook Messenger, chatbots are quickly becoming a core part of the software product mix.
So does your business need a chatbot? This deck will help you understand the massive opportunity for companies who are bold enough to start building chatbots of their own.
(Already au fait with chatbots and looking for a software team to help you with yours? Skip to slide 47 to see some of the chatbots we've built at TWG for our clients and ourselves.)
10 trends reshaping digital - updated Q1 2016Beyond
The cycle of innovation and iteration that digital is known for means existing concepts can suddenly find radically new trajectories. In this report, we highlight ten ideas that have been gaining rapid traction in Q1, and which will reshape how we digitally interact with the world around us.
The cycle of innovation and iteration that digital is known for means existing concepts can suddenly find radically new trajectories. In this report, we highlight ten ideas that have been gaining rapid traction, and which will reshape how we digitally interact with the world around us.
3-in-1 talk on Serverless Chatbots, Alexa skills & Voice UI best practices (t...Daniel Zivkovic
Slides for Serverless Toronto User Group meetup cover:
1. Creating Serverless Chatbots for Twilio SMS, Slack & Facebook in minutes!
2. Alexa Bot/Skill from the same Node.js codebase! Rework of the Alexa code for the "AWS Lambda purists”.
3. Important (non-Serverless) Voice UI specific topics:
• An in-depth look at creating Alexa Skills
• Understanding Voice-First design & how it differs from designing mobile and web apps, even Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems
• Best practices for designing Voice User Interfaces (VUI).
The session was not recorded, but "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the voice-first experience" demos & sample Alexa Skill Interaction Model were uploaded to http://goo.gl/H5CEpW for you to enjoy.
Fabrice Lacroix - Connecting a Chatbot to Your Technical Content: Myth and Re...LavaConConference
Analysts predict that chatbots will be your customers’ preferred interface. How can you transition from carefully staged demos to real-life customers?
In this session attendees will learn:
How rules-based chatbots work and why those simple demos are so impressive
Why chatbots so often fail as soon as they enter the real world
Why current technologies are inadequate and give unsatisfactory experiences
The difficulties in fueling a chatbot with text-based content
Technological approaches which will permit you to go to the next level with a chatbot that can take you to a higher degree of functionality
I gave this presentation at the Yow CTO Summit in Sydney in December 2016. It was a fun presentation detailing some of my favourite bots we've built in Domain, different ways you can use bots, and some tools for getting started building bots. Focuses primarily on our chat tool - Slack.
The mobile app developers are still innovating new ideas to create a more realistic conversation between humans and computers. Although it was not even imagined five decades ago that machines can mimic human interactions, today we have conversational AI apps installed in our hand-held devices.
Conversational AI solutions can improve customer experience and engagement. But still, many businesses fail to use them proficiently.
How much time does it take for a Web Development agency Pakistan to use AI and Machine Learning? Does it really save time and resources? Let us explore these questions together Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are two terms that are often confused. They both refer to the same thing – machines that can perform tasks without being explicitly programmed.
*adding English description
This slide is about the overview of a chatbot and a trend of the shift of "messenger as a platform" or "messenger as the new UI".
As Facebook unveiled that they opened their chatbot capability to the public at previous f8, a movement of chatbot (w/ AI) would be gaining traction. aligned with this, what would happen and/or what would impact on existing market.
f8を前にして、facebookの動きが色々と噂されているようだが、メッセンジャー周りの今の動きをまとめてみた。
特にbot x AIや"messenger as a platform"としての動きなど大きな流れに特化。詳細は追々やっていこうと思う。
API Workshop Series Part 2: The Future of Intelligent User InteractionsCaitlin Zucal
Whether it is an interaction with a service, a website or a pre-screening process, Bots (or digital conversations) are rapidly becoming a part our digital experience. There are common problems that all bot developers face from intelligent interactions to language understanding to platform integration. We will talk about common patterns to design, build and connect bots that will engage your users wherever they are. We will examine patterns for interaction and introduce integration with APIs and natural language processing and artificial intelligence.
My talk at Push Conference 2017, where I explained the benefits and opportunities of conversational interfaces for users and businesses – and how we as creators can make sure they're created in a way that makes sense for humans.
If your job is to make things for the web, and the company you work for doesn’t build fitness trackers, or robots, or smart light bulbs, or a cloud service that aims to connect all these things, you could be forgiven for not caring all that much about today's Internet of Things. My aim with this talk is to shift the conversation away from things and back to people. In doing so, I hope to also arm you with tools to better understand, and find your place, within this complex but fascinating landscape.
First presented at Generate Conference in San Francisco on July 15, 2016.
Today’s 'smart devices' are a product of the technology and mental models of our past. From a connected lightbulb to a robot vacuum, using most of these devices requires a native app. This in turn greatly limits their contexts of use. Can we really expect users to download an app to interact with a random ’thing’ they encounter at the mall, a space they explore for an hour at the museum, or a city they will only visit for a day? What devices could we build, what 'smart' environments could we enable if users could simply discover, “walk up and use”(and then if needed, abandon) these objects and environments as they do a web site?
This workshop will discuss two new technologies--Physical Web and Web Bluetooth--that can enable on-demand interaction with physical things and spaces using no more than a browser.
Some people say the web is dying, but I believe it’s just getting started. And what will kick it into overdrive is the Physical Web: the ability to discover, engage, and interact with smart devices (or that “dumb” tree over there) using nothing more than a browser.
In this presentation, we explore the impact these new capabilities may have on the way we design and think about this (increasingly near) future web.
A brief exploration of proposed Level 4 Media Queries and some thoughts about the future of the web. Presented at Responsive Day Out in Brighton on June 27 2014.
The web was first conceived 25 years ago, by an Englishman. Fifteen years later, as the first crop of dot.coms were going bust, close to 60% of its users (and all Alexa "top 20" sites) came from developed nations. Fast forward to today, and the picture is strikingly different. Almost half the Alexa "top 20" now comes from emerging economies. Economies where close to 3 billion people have yet to use the web, but thanks to mobile--won't have to wait much longer to discover it. This presentation will introduce you to fascinating and innovative services that are re-shaping the web to serve the consumers of tomorrow. Driven by mobile, the power of personal relationships, and the breakneck pace of globalisation, these services provide a glimpse into the business models, opportunities and challenges we will face, when growing a truly global web.
The time is 2020. The inflection point has long passed. Most web traffic is now coming from some manner of portable device. And if Google Chairman Eric Schmidt (and many others’) predictions have come true, we will have truly reached time where “…[technology] will just be seamless. It will just be there. The web will be everything, and it will be nothing. It will be like electricity.”
This presentation challenges us to think about the role of the web going forward. What steps must we take to build a world where interactions with the web are truly “seamless”? What would a seamless web even look like? How can we ensure the web remains strong amidst all the new technologies that are on the way.
Presented on September 13 in London at Generate.
Designing for diversity - how to stop worrying and embrace the Android revol...yiibu
It took 16 years for smartphone penetration to reach 1 billion people. Analysts believe it will take only 3 years to reach the next billion. The devices these consumers buy will be incredibly diverse, yet many will run on Android; a platform that now sees more than 1.5 million activations per day.
In this presentation, we explore the fascinating rise of Android around the globe. From dual SIM phones in Indonesia, to dual screen e-ink devices in Russia and crowd-sourced platform modifications in China, we will discover the role open source has played in Android's popularity and how to design for such a diverse environment.
Midway through a project, a client of ours recently said "One thing I'm learning is that it's ok to give up on the desktop experience once it stops making sense". This wasn't an isolated incident. In fact, i'm beginning to think desktop web sites stopped making sense quite a while ago. We've just had nothing viable to replace them with. Mobile apps have given us a glimpse, but I think they're merely a glimpse into something bigger.
Mobile isn't merely a new stage in the evolution of the web, it's not even merely a new context, it's the very early stages of an entirely new system. A system that has already started to shape our environment, affect the way we live, how we choose to connect with others, and how we're able to spend our time. A system that is also slowly unravelling our assumptions and causing us to question the very reason we build web sites, why people visit them, and where the true value of the web actually lies.
Presented by Stephanie Rieger at Breaking Development in Orlando, Florida on April 17, 2012.
Presented by Stephanie Rieger at Breaking Development in Dallas, April 11 2011 and Mobilism in Amsterdam, May 12, 2011.
Context is often cited as the single most important factor in design for the mobile medium. Mobile devices are of course 'mobile', but they are also small, always on, always with us, and can instantly connect us to the people we love. Mobile services must therefore be simple, social, and well-focussed--enabling us to quickly get things done on even the smallest screens.
This is all well and good, but mobile devices have changed. They may be mobile, but many have already stopped being 'phones'—nor do they resemble what we traditionally think of as computers. This presentation will explore how our use, and perception of mobile devices is changing, and how these changes may impact how we should design for them going forward.
How to Position Your Globus Data Portal for Success Ten Good PracticesGlobus
Science gateways allow science and engineering communities to access shared data, software, computing services, and instruments. Science gateways have gained a lot of traction in the last twenty years, as evidenced by projects such as the Science Gateways Community Institute (SGCI) and the Center of Excellence on Science Gateways (SGX3) in the US, The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) and its platforms in Australia, and the projects around Virtual Research Environments in Europe. A few mature frameworks have evolved with their different strengths and foci and have been taken up by a larger community such as the Globus Data Portal, Hubzero, Tapis, and Galaxy. However, even when gateways are built on successful frameworks, they continue to face the challenges of ongoing maintenance costs and how to meet the ever-expanding needs of the community they serve with enhanced features. It is not uncommon that gateways with compelling use cases are nonetheless unable to get past the prototype phase and become a full production service, or if they do, they don't survive more than a couple of years. While there is no guaranteed pathway to success, it seems likely that for any gateway there is a need for a strong community and/or solid funding streams to create and sustain its success. With over twenty years of examples to draw from, this presentation goes into detail for ten factors common to successful and enduring gateways that effectively serve as best practices for any new or developing gateway.
First Steps with Globus Compute Multi-User EndpointsGlobus
In this presentation we will share our experiences around getting started with the Globus Compute multi-user endpoint. Working with the Pharmacology group at the University of Auckland, we have previously written an application using Globus Compute that can offload computationally expensive steps in the researcher's workflows, which they wish to manage from their familiar Windows environments, onto the NeSI (New Zealand eScience Infrastructure) cluster. Some of the challenges we have encountered were that each researcher had to set up and manage their own single-user globus compute endpoint and that the workloads had varying resource requirements (CPUs, memory and wall time) between different runs. We hope that the multi-user endpoint will help to address these challenges and share an update on our progress here.
Innovating Inference - Remote Triggering of Large Language Models on HPC Clus...Globus
Large Language Models (LLMs) are currently the center of attention in the tech world, particularly for their potential to advance research. In this presentation, we'll explore a straightforward and effective method for quickly initiating inference runs on supercomputers using the vLLM tool with Globus Compute, specifically on the Polaris system at ALCF. We'll begin by briefly discussing the popularity and applications of LLMs in various fields. Following this, we will introduce the vLLM tool, and explain how it integrates with Globus Compute to efficiently manage LLM operations on Polaris. Attendees will learn the practical aspects of setting up and remotely triggering LLMs from local machines, focusing on ease of use and efficiency. This talk is ideal for researchers and practitioners looking to leverage the power of LLMs in their work, offering a clear guide to harnessing supercomputing resources for quick and effective LLM inference.
Large Language Models and the End of ProgrammingMatt Welsh
Talk by Matt Welsh at Craft Conference 2024 on the impact that Large Language Models will have on the future of software development. In this talk, I discuss the ways in which LLMs will impact the software industry, from replacing human software developers with AI, to replacing conventional software with models that perform reasoning, computation, and problem-solving.
Check out the webinar slides to learn more about how XfilesPro transforms Salesforce document management by leveraging its world-class applications. For more details, please connect with sales@xfilespro.com
If you want to watch the on-demand webinar, please click here: https://www.xfilespro.com/webinars/salesforce-document-management-2-0-smarter-faster-better/
Globus Compute wth IRI Workflows - GlobusWorld 2024Globus
As part of the DOE Integrated Research Infrastructure (IRI) program, NERSC at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and ALCF at Argonne National Lab are working closely with General Atomics on accelerating the computing requirements of the DIII-D experiment. As part of the work the team is investigating ways to speedup the time to solution for many different parts of the DIII-D workflow including how they run jobs on HPC systems. One of these routes is looking at Globus Compute as a way to replace the current method for managing tasks and we describe a brief proof of concept showing how Globus Compute could help to schedule jobs and be a tool to connect compute at different facilities.
Exploring Innovations in Data Repository Solutions - Insights from the U.S. G...Globus
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has made substantial investments in meeting evolving scientific, technical, and policy driven demands on storing, managing, and delivering data. As these demands continue to grow in complexity and scale, the USGS must continue to explore innovative solutions to improve its management, curation, sharing, delivering, and preservation approaches for large-scale research data. Supporting these needs, the USGS has partnered with the University of Chicago-Globus to research and develop advanced repository components and workflows leveraging its current investment in Globus. The primary outcome of this partnership includes the development of a prototype enterprise repository, driven by USGS Data Release requirements, through exploration and implementation of the entire suite of the Globus platform offerings, including Globus Flow, Globus Auth, Globus Transfer, and Globus Search. This presentation will provide insights into this research partnership, introduce the unique requirements and challenges being addressed and provide relevant project progress.
Globus Connect Server Deep Dive - GlobusWorld 2024Globus
We explore the Globus Connect Server (GCS) architecture and experiment with advanced configuration options and use cases. This content is targeted at system administrators who are familiar with GCS and currently operate—or are planning to operate—broader deployments at their institution.
In 2015, I used to write extensions for Joomla, WordPress, phpBB3, etc and I ...Juraj Vysvader
In 2015, I used to write extensions for Joomla, WordPress, phpBB3, etc and I didn't get rich from it but it did have 63K downloads (powered possible tens of thousands of websites).
OpenFOAM solver for Helmholtz equation, helmholtzFoam / helmholtzBubbleFoamtakuyayamamoto1800
In this slide, we show the simulation example and the way to compile this solver.
In this solver, the Helmholtz equation can be solved by helmholtzFoam. Also, the Helmholtz equation with uniformly dispersed bubbles can be simulated by helmholtzBubbleFoam.
Software Engineering, Software Consulting, Tech Lead.
Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Spring Core, Spring JDBC, Spring Security,
Spring Transaction, Spring MVC,
Log4j, REST/SOAP WEB-SERVICES.
Developing Distributed High-performance Computing Capabilities of an Open Sci...Globus
COVID-19 had an unprecedented impact on scientific collaboration. The pandemic and its broad response from the scientific community has forged new relationships among public health practitioners, mathematical modelers, and scientific computing specialists, while revealing critical gaps in exploiting advanced computing systems to support urgent decision making. Informed by our team’s work in applying high-performance computing in support of public health decision makers during the COVID-19 pandemic, we present how Globus technologies are enabling the development of an open science platform for robust epidemic analysis, with the goal of collaborative, secure, distributed, on-demand, and fast time-to-solution analyses to support public health.
Providing Globus Services to Users of JASMIN for Environmental Data AnalysisGlobus
JASMIN is the UK’s high-performance data analysis platform for environmental science, operated by STFC on behalf of the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). In addition to its role in hosting the CEDA Archive (NERC’s long-term repository for climate, atmospheric science & Earth observation data in the UK), JASMIN provides a collaborative platform to a community of around 2,000 scientists in the UK and beyond, providing nearly 400 environmental science projects with working space, compute resources and tools to facilitate their work. High-performance data transfer into and out of JASMIN has always been a key feature, with many scientists bringing model outputs from supercomputers elsewhere in the UK, to analyse against observational or other model data in the CEDA Archive. A growing number of JASMIN users are now realising the benefits of using the Globus service to provide reliable and efficient data movement and other tasks in this and other contexts. Further use cases involve long-distance (intercontinental) transfers to and from JASMIN, and collecting results from a mobile atmospheric radar system, pushing data to JASMIN via a lightweight Globus deployment. We provide details of how Globus fits into our current infrastructure, our experience of the recent migration to GCSv5.4, and of our interest in developing use of the wider ecosystem of Globus services for the benefit of our user community.
Gamify Your Mind; The Secret Sauce to Delivering Success, Continuously Improv...Shahin Sheidaei
Games are powerful teaching tools, fostering hands-on engagement and fun. But they require careful consideration to succeed. Join me to explore factors in running and selecting games, ensuring they serve as effective teaching tools. Learn to maintain focus on learning objectives while playing, and how to measure the ROI of gaming in education. Discover strategies for pitching gaming to leadership. This session offers insights, tips, and examples for coaches, team leads, and enterprise leaders seeking to teach from simple to complex concepts.
Designing for Privacy in Amazon Web ServicesKrzysztofKkol1
Data privacy is one of the most critical issues that businesses face. This presentation shares insights on the principles and best practices for ensuring the resilience and security of your workload.
Drawing on a real-life project from the HR industry, the various challenges will be demonstrated: data protection, self-healing, business continuity, security, and transparency of data processing. This systematized approach allowed to create a secure AWS cloud infrastructure that not only met strict compliance rules but also exceeded the client's expectations.
Cyaniclab : Software Development Agency Portfolio.pdfCyanic lab
CyanicLab, an offshore custom software development company based in Sweden,India, Finland, is your go-to partner for startup development and innovative web design solutions. Our expert team specializes in crafting cutting-edge software tailored to meet the unique needs of startups and established enterprises alike. From conceptualization to execution, we offer comprehensive services including web and mobile app development, UI/UX design, and ongoing software maintenance. Ready to elevate your business? Contact CyanicLab today and let us propel your vision to success with our top-notch IT solutions.
Your Digital Assistant.
Making complex approach simple. Straightforward process saves time. No more waiting to connect with people that matter to you. Safety first is not a cliché - Securely protect information in cloud storage to prevent any third party from accessing data.
Would you rather make your visitors feel burdened by making them wait? Or choose VizMan for a stress-free experience? VizMan is an automated visitor management system that works for any industries not limited to factories, societies, government institutes, and warehouses. A new age contactless way of logging information of visitors, employees, packages, and vehicles. VizMan is a digital logbook so it deters unnecessary use of paper or space since there is no requirement of bundles of registers that is left to collect dust in a corner of a room. Visitor’s essential details, helps in scheduling meetings for visitors and employees, and assists in supervising the attendance of the employees. With VizMan, visitors don’t need to wait for hours in long queues. VizMan handles visitors with the value they deserve because we know time is important to you.
Feasible Features
One Subscription, Four Modules – Admin, Employee, Receptionist, and Gatekeeper ensures confidentiality and prevents data from being manipulated
User Friendly – can be easily used on Android, iOS, and Web Interface
Multiple Accessibility – Log in through any device from any place at any time
One app for all industries – a Visitor Management System that works for any organisation.
Stress-free Sign-up
Visitor is registered and checked-in by the Receptionist
Host gets a notification, where they opt to Approve the meeting
Host notifies the Receptionist of the end of the meeting
Visitor is checked-out by the Receptionist
Host enters notes and remarks of the meeting
Customizable Components
Scheduling Meetings – Host can invite visitors for meetings and also approve, reject and reschedule meetings
Single/Bulk invites – Invitations can be sent individually to a visitor or collectively to many visitors
VIP Visitors – Additional security of data for VIP visitors to avoid misuse of information
Courier Management – Keeps a check on deliveries like commodities being delivered in and out of establishments
Alerts & Notifications – Get notified on SMS, email, and application
Parking Management – Manage availability of parking space
Individual log-in – Every user has their own log-in id
Visitor/Meeting Analytics – Evaluate notes and remarks of the meeting stored in the system
Visitor Management System is a secure and user friendly database manager that records, filters, tracks the visitors to your organization.
"Secure Your Premises with VizMan (VMS) – Get It Now"
Understanding Globus Data Transfers with NetSageGlobus
NetSage is an open privacy-aware network measurement, analysis, and visualization service designed to help end-users visualize and reason about large data transfers. NetSage traditionally has used a combination of passive measurements, including SNMP and flow data, as well as active measurements, mainly perfSONAR, to provide longitudinal network performance data visualization. It has been deployed by dozens of networks world wide, and is supported domestically by the Engagement and Performance Operations Center (EPOC), NSF #2328479. We have recently expanded the NetSage data sources to include logs for Globus data transfers, following the same privacy-preserving approach as for Flow data. Using the logs for the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) as an example, this talk will walk through several different example use cases that NetSage can answer, including: Who is using Globus to share data with my institution, and what kind of performance are they able to achieve? How many transfers has Globus supported for us? Which sites are we sharing the most data with, and how is that changing over time? How is my site using Globus to move data internally, and what kind of performance do we see for those transfers? What percentage of data transfers at my institution used Globus, and how did the overall data transfer performance compare to the Globus users?
2. “Machines should work; People should think” an excerpt from
The Jim Henson Company 1967 video "Paperwork Explosion”.
from
1967…
3. "The dream of conversational interfaces
is that they will finally allow humans to
talk to computers in a way that puts the
onus on the software—not the user—to
figure out how to get things done.”
— FastCompany, Conversational Interfaces, explained
…to 2016
4. A conversational interface is a program that you primarily
interact with through a back-and-forth dialog—using either voice
or text—instead of a more traditional graphical UI.
…at least, that’s how we think of them today.
What is a conversational UI (CUI)?
5. The two most common types of CUI are currently (text-based)
chatbots and (mostly voice-based) AI assistants. But there
are also already, many variations on this theme.
What kind of CUIs are there?
6. “The introduction of bots to
Facebook and other platforms has
been overhyped—and the bots
themselves often aren't very
good…[many] aren’t nearly as good
as the native apps they were
designed to replace.”
— Facebook Messenger chief David Marcus
Is this bot thing just hype?
Right now…maybe. :) There *is*
a lot of hype, and many bots
are barely useful.
But it’s important to consider
why bots and AI assistant
exist today, as this can help us
understand where they go in
the future.
8. Chatbots are not a new invention, and either are AI assistant.
Clippy, 1997
The much hated Clippy was
annoying, because it
promised a smart, helpful
assistant, yet wasn’t
sophisticated enough to
deliver on that promise.
ELIZA, 1966
Developed by MIT, the most famous Eliza bot was
DOCTOR, a simulation of a Rogerian psychotherapist.
We’ve been here before…
9. The reason conversational
interfaces may finally go
mainstream, is that we’ve
reached a combination or
human and technological
tipping points that have
created new opportunities
and expectations.
•artificial intelligence
•cloud computing + data
•mobile everywhere
•messaging everywhere
•new behaviours/expectations
•app fatigue
10. Artificial intelligence
The past few years have seen big
advances in artificial intelligence,
and machine learning technologies.
These technologies enable key
aspects of CUIs, such as automatic
speech recognition (which converts
voice to text) and natural language
processing (which determines an
input’s meaning). an example of language parsing and processing using
Facebook’s open source wit.ai
text input
structured
data
output
11. Cloud computing + data
The widespread availability of
low-cost, “infinite storage”
through cloud computing let to a
big data explosion, and greatly
reduced the cost of the intensive
computation needed to run
machine learning.
(Many popular machine learning
APIs are in fact now combined
with a cloud offering).
cloud-based machine learning and
cognitive computing
AWS cloud computing and cloud-based
machine learning
cloud-based machine learning
12. Mobile is everywhere
Number of mobile internet device subscriptions worldwide (in billions)
Mobile now reaches half the
worldwide population, with
the largest recent and
projected gains in Asia and
countries outside Europe
and N. America.
This demographic change is
important as a mobile is
often the first or only
computer these new
internet users will own.
13. For many mobile-first users, social and messaging apps are a primary window
onto the internet. In fact—many even believe these apps are the internet.
1B
1B
800M
220M
275M
WhatsApp
Messenger
WeChat (China)
Line (Japan/APAC)
kik (N America)
And if you use mobile, you use messaging
14. Source: Why Southeast Asia is Leading the world’s most disruptive business models
find a social vendor browse products inquire via messaging
(often using another app)
get payment details
(digital or otherwise)
ship anconfirm payment
These messaging apps were in fact the first prototypes of ‘conversational commerce’—
ad-hoc experiences assembled by users to meet a need.
15. “Most smartphone users download zero apps per month” - Quartz
Fewer apps used per month
of time spent on mobile is within
five non-native apps
Most download zero apps per month
These trends are colliding with a growing app fatigue. Although time
spent in apps is up, most people primarily use just a few apps—and
many of these, are messaging apps.
“Only five apps see heavy use” - TechCrunch
84%
17. AI assistants are services whose
job is to serve as an enabler for
different types of interactions.
Their primary means of input
tends to be voice, but a user’s
mobile is often used to output
more complex data and
responses.
AI Assistants
Apple’s Siri
(can be voice + screen)
Microsoft’s Cortana
(can be voice + screen)
Amazon Alexa
(primarily voice)
Ok Google
(can be voice + screen)
18. Most assistants have a collection of core behaviours—such as
fetching the time, setting an alarm, or sending an email—but most
are also platforms.
Core behaviours
Just a few of ‘Ok Google’s’ core behaviours
19. With each new brand that
creates a service for the
platform, the assistant (and
therefore its users) gain a
new set of skills*.
*Amazon (shown right) actually calls these
skills. Other platform will have different names
for them.
Third party ‘skills’
20. Bots are small services
that you ‘chat’ with
through a text interface
such as Facebook
Messenger or SMS.
Chatbots (…or Bots)
The Taco Bell tacobot for Slack
21. Some bots are standalone products,
while others aim to provide a subset of
tasks from a larger service.
In this sense, bots are similar to the
‘skills’ found within assistants: single-
domain micro-applications that help
users complete a range of tasks related
to an activity—such as booking a flight
or finding an apartment.
Trim is a personal finance bot with a very
simple value proposition—help you save
money by keeping an eye on where and
how you spend.
The Expedia bot enables users to search for
hotels, and book them using expedia.com.
22. There are already quite a few
hybrid approaches. Facebook
M for example, is an AI
assistant that uses text chat
instead of voice.
More importantly however, it’s
one of a growing number of
services that combine
automation with ‘humans in
the loop’ .
Hybrid approaches
“Hi! I’m M, your
personal assistant in
Messenger”
Facebook M has human
trainers who silently
supervise, and take over
complex tasks.
Operator’s human
assistants get to know
their clients to better
curate products to their
tastes.
Clara, a scheduling AI
is supported by
experienced
Executive Assistants.
23. Hopefully not :-)
There are many contexts where
we will still need a more traditional
graphical UI—either because the
task is just too graphical in nature,
or just because a bot doesn’t
really add to the experience.
Will everything become a bot or CUI?
24. These apps may however
soon have bots of their own.
AI-powered assistive
interfaces are starting to
appear within more complex
apps that could benefit from
smart, human-guided use of
artificial intelligence.
Embedded, assistive AIs
While not (yet) conversational, the Google Sheets Explore
panel acts as an assistant that proactively suggests
alternate data renderings for your spreadsheet.
25. An AI whose job is to watch
over us…
•to proactively problem solve,
•suggest more effective
ways to complete a task,
•provide a more ‘human’
interface through which to
collaborate (with other
people, or other bots). Crystal provides ‘personality profiles’ for contacts, and
helps you better communicate with them.
26. …hence all the hype :)
The promise of conversational apps appears huge:
•more human and personal than a GUI
•faster and simpler to use…if the context is right
•low commitment, ephemeral…closer to the web than apps
•mobile ‘native’…born of, and uniquely suited to mobile
e.g. interaction models, contexts of use, use of sensors
29. In this section, we’ll look at common challenges, and
design considerations when building bots and
conversational services for AI assistant platforms.
30. We are in the “primordial soup” phase of bots and AI-augmented services.
Existing platforms are immature, and prone to change.
Disclaimer
32. Although bots are zero-install,
(and ‘skills’ for assistant
platforms are broadly similar)
users still have to know the
service exists before they can
enable or interact with it.
In this sense, we’ve somewhat
replaced the app store discovery
problem with a bot store
discovery problem :(
Platform-level discovery
>4000
>30,000
>2700
~1000
Telegram
Messenger
Amazon Alexa
Slack
33. Thankfully, some platforms
already offer tools that make it
easy to share a bot or embed
just-in-time discovery within
other interactions.
(This will hopefully become standard
practice, and make bots more similar to
web sites, than traditional apps).
Contextual discovery
Just in time discovery plugins
Facebook web plugins enable users
to initiate a chat conversation, or
pass information to Messenger for
onwards interaction.
Share a bot
Share Telegram and
Facebook Messenger bots
using a hyperlink*.
*A URL opens in any browser, but Messenger and Telegram bots only
function within those apps. A shame that there isn’t further interoperability.
https://telegram.me/<bot username>
m.me/<bot username>
34. https://www.flickr.com/photos/marketingfacts/6323249188/
Just in time discovery isn’t
limited to digital platforms. A
key enabler, within WeChat is QR
codes—which are often used to
initiate or complete an offline-to-
online (O2O) interaction.
kik, Facebook Messenger and
Snapchat offer similar 2D codes,
which users can scan to follow a
brand, or initiate a conversation. ...in Korea, grocery
stores are embedded on
Subway platforms where
users scan QR codes to
buy items that are
delivered just-in-time for
dinner
36. KLM embeds Messenger plugins
at various stages:
• ticket purchase,
• check-in
• boarding pass retrieval
Users who opt-in, then receive their
confirmation, check-in notice, boarding pass
and flight status updates via Messenger.
38. Today (and for the foreseeable
future) bots and AI assistants will
remain pretty simple. Today’s
services are good at answering
simple questions, and are best
suited to completing simple,
repetitive tasks.
If your bot promises more than this,
it will likely disappoint, and this is as
much due to human factors as
technology constraints.
39. CUI proponents often
compare them to gesture
and touch based interfaces.
Interfaces that ‘natural’—
because most people
already know how to scroll,
swipe, speak or type.
‘Natural’ UI…
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hams-caserotti/6160875175/
40. ‘Natural’ but not
automatically intuitive
While they may at first glance
seem intuitive, ‘natural’
interaction models often
share similar challenges.
If for example, a gesture is
completely new, it will have
to be taught, and may be
hard to discover on its own.
Dash by Bragi “a discrete personal
assistant right in your ear”
Gesture: activate touch lock
Gesture: deactivate touch lock
41. Similarly, if you don’t know
what a bot or AI assistant can
do, or how to properly ask, you
can waste a lot of time
guessing.
The simpler the bot, the easier
it will be for users to quickly,
build a conceptual model of
what it can do.
This is particularly critical for voice-only services
as there’s no screen to refer to.
42. The majority of bots are also still
powered by rules (not that
different from the decision trees
we’ve used for years in telephone
systems).
43. And although chats look like a
conversation, the bot is simply ‘slot-
filling’—asking the necessary questions
to formulate a query with set
parameters.
It can only understand certain
questions, and respond with specific,
pre-chosen commands. If a user say
the wrong thing, it won’t know what she
mean.
44. Bots that use elements of
machine learning may go a step
further, as they can begin to
understand language*.
Users can therefore be less
specific with their commands, and
the system can generate its own
responses—gradually expanding
its vocabulary over time.
Next up…machine learning
Image: Isazi consulting*to a degree, you can’t yet expect full fluency from any of these systems
45. The most useful and successful
bots (even fairly complex ones)
have one job.
They also solve real,
demonstrable problems (and
ideally, something for which a
much better alternative doesn’t
already exist).
Give the bot one job
This extremely simple bot identifies images.
46. The problem the bot solves
should be easy to convey, simple
to understand, and (hopefully)
include steps that users may be
able to guess on their own.
Bots that leverage mobile
(camera, sensors, notifications
etc.) to simplify tasks, will often
be particularly useful.
Example:
Energy company account bot
• receive monthly bills
• check balance
• get monthly reminders to submit
a meter reading
• snap a photo of the meter to
send your reading (or type it in)
48. Use any means available to
help users quickly understand
what they can do.
Hello!
Monday, 4:09 pm
Hello…
Monday, 4:09 pm
Hello…?
Monday, 4:12 pm
Hello…?
Monday, 4:15 pm
Hello…?
Monday, 4:16 pm
49. Most bots are zero-install, but users
still see a bit of information before
they begin a chat.
Facebook Messenger for example,
provides an introductory screen where
you can set basic assumptions:
• how fast does the bot respond?
• what does the bot do?
• what can you ask?
• what personal data will it see?
Onboarding
50. It’s also good practice to welcome users with a few prompts describing
the most likely starting point, and what information the bot will need
to complete a that request.
I might get
confused
This is my job
Start like this
Here are terms I
understand and
can filter by
Can I interest you in
this useful thing?
51. The more constrained or well understood the task—for example booking a train
ticket—the more likely users will make correct assumptions of their own. This
is less likely if your bot does something new or bespoke to your service.
A known/fixed task?
Trim, the personal finance bot “can show you a few ways to save money”. Because
‘saving money’ isn’t binary…it must then explain what this means.
52. Platforms such as Facebook
Messenger, Telegram, and
Slack also enable you to
include custom buttons and
keyboards (in Telegram only)
that allow for faster, and
more accurate input.
Facebook quick reply buttons
Telegram custom keyboard
54. Apple has restricting third-party apps
within Siri to six domains: ride booking,
messaging, photo and video, payments,
VoIP and workouts.
This helps set expectations, as users are
(a bit) less likely to ask Siri for something
outside these categories.
Users also enjoy better UX as Apple can
gradually release, and optimize
vocabularies for each domain.
Third-party apps in Siri
56. Bots shouldn’t attempt
to replace what is best
left to a traditional
graphical UI.
(…and if they do, they maybe shouldn’t use
Poncho the weather bot as role model)
vs.
glanceable, easy to understand
despite high information density
57. They also shouldn’t
attempt to replace things
that humans are really
good at…
Computers are really good at…
• data retrieval, sorting, filtering
• complex maths,
• parsing vast datasets
• doing this over and over (they won’t get bored or frustrated)
Computers are getting better at…
• analyzing human sentiment
• understanding intent outside set domains or vocabularies
• determining content and context of images, video etc.
Computers are incapable of…
• emotional intelligence
• empathy
• human reasoning
• pragmatism
• (un-scripted) persuasion
• actual conversation!
(…a partial list in all cases)
58. There are also very basic
aspects of ‘real’ human
conversation that computers
still struggle with.
This includes, maintaining the
scope of a conversation,
chaining conversations
together, and differentiating a
new question, from a follow-on
question. Source: @jonesabi
This can be particularly aggravating with text chat, as there’s a visual
record of the conversation. It’s therefore easy for users to assume the
bot ‘knows’ everything that’s been said.
59. In the case of Facebook M and personal
assistants like x.ai, providing human
assistance in tandem with automation
may be purely tactical.
"M is a human-trained system:
Human operators evaluate the
AI's suggested responses, and
then they produce responses
while the AI observes and
learns from them.”
— Facebook AI Research
Other reasons to involve humans
Take over complex tasks
that can’t be automated
• “plan a birthday party”
Offer services that can’t
yet be automated
• APIs often don’t yet exist
for one AI or service to
interface with another
Generate usage data • clarify key use cases to
inform the product
roadmap
• to train the AI
61. Edward’s design was informed by a
deep understanding of typical
guest queries. The goal was to
automate the most common and
routine queries, to free up front desk
staff for face to face interactions.
what cuisine does your restaurant serve?
Tuesday, 8:30 pm
please send me some ice
Tuesday, 8:00 pm
please don’t clean my room today
Tuesday, 7:45 am
what time do I need to check out?
Wednesday, 7:00 am
can you send me more towels?
Tuesday, 7:12 am
I’d like a paper delivered to my room
Monday, 6:00 pm
Hi…i’m Edward, Radisson Blu
Edwardian’s virtual host
Monday, 4:09 pm
“We were intrigued to find out
how many different questions
a guest can have during a stay:
153 to be precise”
— Tobias Goebel, Aspect software
Edward, the virtual host
62. Edward’s handles routine questions,
and automatically routes more
complex requests to appropriate staff.
Source: Aspect software
Universal template for
self-service
64. Despite your best efforts,
users will get stuck, or
need help that’s beyond
the bot’s capabilities.
Always build in easy and
intuitive ways for users to
quit a task, start over, or
speak to a person*.
*even if the response is not immediate
Source: @superwuster
65. Shown when you first open the bot.
Nice! But you may forget it’s there.
I tried this, to see what would happen,
and was pleasantly surprised. Nice!
From Bot to human…
Users see this when they
directly message customer
service out of hours.
From human to bot…
A few nice examples…
67. “Pretending that bots are humans is
impersonal. If customers are in conversation
with an entity that they think is a person, but
then realise through inevitable technical
limitations that it is in fact a bot, how do you
imagine they will feel?
And how could that feeling ever be good for
business?”
— Paul Adams, Bots vs. humans
While it’s good practice
to enable users to
switch from human to
bot—obfuscating this
process may not be in
your best interest.
68. Source: @jonesa
This is down to trust, but also our tendency to anthropomorphize;
to attribute human characteristics to animals, inanimate objects,
or natural phenomena.
69. “[iRobot] regularly received calls asking for help to
fix “Rosie” or “Seamus” or “Floorence”. Customers
expressed concern when iRobot told them to mail
in their Roomba, and receive a new one in return—
as they might with another small appliance.
…They didn’t want a new vacuum…they wanted
“Rosie” to be fixed—or more to the point, healed.”
— Paul Colin Angle, CEO if iRobot
Anthropomorphism isn’t completely understood, but can occur even
if the object has no recognizable human form.
70. …it can even occur
when a ‘thing’ has no
physical form at all.
71. As people are likely to
attribute human qualities to
your bot regardless, you
should consider what kind of
personality you’d like it have.
“Bots are personas, whether or not
it’s intended. Every participant will
project an identity onto the bot, its
gender and personality — whether
or not it has been created
intentionally by the design team.”
— Chatbots ultimate prototyping tool, IDEO
72. Personality can be tricky to get
right. A common problem is to
misjudge how much personality
may be too much—and in what
context.
Jokes may be OK for this weather
bot, but would be exasperating if
this were a airline bot with a flight
delay message.
73. Persona mismatch?
Facebook is trying to seem friendly,
but if the context is wrong, it just feels
weird (Zach is Scott’s son).
“…we had to outlaw Howdy’s bots
from asking rhetorical questions
‘because people expect to respond
to them, even though the bot was
just being polite’.”
— FastCompany, Designing chatbot personalities
Cultural and social norms
Politeness can be deeply cultural, and
consumers is certain markets may feel
particularly compelled to respond.
Culture, social norms, and the user’s personal context are also a factor.
74. People often experiment with a
bot (either to understand what
it can do, or just for fun).
Anticipating these questions is
a nice way to develop the bot’s
personality in a more neutral
context (i.e. users aren’t actively
trying to ‘get things done’…so
may be more open to chit chat).
Google Assistant, within Allo
76. Communicating with services
on a private device, and in a
more personal context, also
changes our expectations.
Any brand or organization
entering this space should
consider whether this may
create entirely new, and
unexpected interactions.
Source: Washington Post (March 2016)
Siri’s response to
‘I was raped’…
“I don’t know what that
means. If you like, I can
search the Web for ‘I was
raped.’”
Samsung S Voice:
‘I am depressed’…
“Maybe it’s time for you to
take a break and get a
change of scenery.”
77. Society is still coming to terms
with what this means, and
where the responsibility may
lie in these complex, and very
human scenarios.
A complicating factor is that,
some software is no longer
taught what to say—it simply
decides on its own*.
*based on input from millions of users with
varying motivations