Many AI-based applications are finally making the jump across the hype cycle from
‘promising’ to ‘delivering’ real value. Chatbots are one that have made a dent in 2017 and
will continue to do so in 2018. Messaging has proved to be a simple, and extremely
effective way to communicate and interface with information. Message based apps leverage a
commonly used medium to provide a conversational interface to complex workflows. This has
already dramatically simplified how enterprise users interact with applications and
collaborate at work, especially as more and more millennials enter the workforce with
drastically different expectations for software than their prior generation.
But
adding AI to chat takes us beyond just simple question and answer commands. Instead of
typing “File HR Ticket” to a SupportBot, an employee can simply describe their actual
challenge, e.g. “what is our maternity leave policy?”
Bots
can handle complex NLP, decompose the question, search for potential answers across
multiple applications/ backends, and instantly provide the user with the right answer. This
greatly simplifies workflow and massively boosts productivity and customer/ employee
satisfaction.
Zooming out a bit, the bigger picture going into 2019 is very
clear. AI will be built in as a layer across every application going forward — just as
“mobile” used to be a standalone category, it is now seen as a necessary component of any
software product.