A long time ago in Windows, Clippy would kindly offer help and hints on using the Microsoft Office package. The force was not strong with the little paper clip and the experiment with intelligent user interface ended in disaster. Twenty years later the bots are making a come back. The question is will they achieve what Clippy could not?
Office developers wanted to add a human like interface to the system hoping that it would enhance the interaction. This was a mistake and users found the AI to be more annoying than helpful. The bots these days are not design to copy human intelligence. They have a limited scope and a clear purpose. A pizza ordering bot is a good example. It may not offer all the toppings and combo's . It will however help you place an order easily and efficiently. The new trend is to have small chunks of intelligence.
Revolution in the mobile devices has also been very helpful. It is not only the technology capabilities that makes it possible . The mindset has also changed. After Siri and Kortana, people are comfortable with bots helping you with daily tasks. In future a service technician who came to fix your sink would ask his phone if he has the right part in his van. He need not get up or even open an app.
There are still dangers lurking in the shadows. The few who tried to mimic human intelligence had some very public fails. Who can forget Tay the racist chat bot. Clippy was not all bad. Reason Microsoft finally pulled the plug on it was that it has become redundant. The new version of Office was far easier to use. Perhaps it was too early to the party.
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