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>> Much like the examples in this article, I haven't seen any bots that can present information in a way that is easier than a normal interface... Funny, I see

>> Much like the examples in this article, I haven't seen any bots that can present information in a way that is easier than a normal interface... Funny, I see the interface of bots on a messaging platform as their only value. As for the AI/NLP, Meh. To me the possibility of replacing the umpteen apps and Web pages with a single consistent UI is the appealing part.

dxhdr 10y ago
What's the consistent interface of bots? You need to know their supported commands to get anything done. Until we have actual AI it will remain an obfuscated command line. Interfaces like Siri are convenient because they actually use AI/NLP! In many ways this new generation of chatbot is worse than what we had 20 years ago in IRC -- at least then the functionality was clearly presented.
- 0x445442 10y ago
  Yeah, I was speaking from a slanted point of view because I'm not the typical user. What interests me about them is their potential to be a more powerful terminal command line. One that can render graphical responses as well as text. I've grown very tired of all the differing UIS I must navigate on a daily basis.
- andybak 10y ago
  > Until we have actual AI it will remain an obfuscated command line Well put, sir. I hadn't managed to put that into words quite as succinctly but you've pinpointed exactly my feelings and my reasons for skepticism. Unless you bother to read up on the commands that it accepts you find yourself greeted 50% of the time with "I don't know how to do that". Now we're on the same turf as any good UX problem - power-users (who have the incentive to learn an interface) vs casual users (who don't and shouldn't have to). Chat bots seem to be targeting the latter but they require the time investment of the former.
- PhasmaFelis 10y ago
  > Until we have actual AI it will remain an obfuscated command line. I've never met a command line that wasn't obfuscated. Try learning Unix using only man pages as reference. With bots, you can at least expect reasonable responses to some natural-language requests.
- PhasmaFelis 10y ago
  > Until we have actual AI it will remain an obfuscated command line. I've never met a command line that wasn't obfuscated. Try learning Unix using only man pages as reference. With bots, you can at least expect reasonable responses to some natural-language requests.

dxhdr 10y ago

What's the consistent interface of bots? You need to know their supported commands to get anything done. Until we have actual AI it will remain an obfuscated command line. Interfaces like Siri are convenient because they actually use AI/NLP! In many ways this new generation of chatbot is worse than what we had 20 years ago in IRC -- at least then the functionality was clearly presented.

0x445442 10y ago
Yeah, I was speaking from a slanted point of view because I'm not the typical user. What interests me about them is their potential to be a more powerful terminal command line. One that can render graphical responses as well as text. I've grown very tired of all the differing UIS I must navigate on a daily basis.
andybak 10y ago
> Until we have actual AI it will remain an obfuscated command line Well put, sir. I hadn't managed to put that into words quite as succinctly but you've pinpointed exactly my feelings and my reasons for skepticism. Unless you bother to read up on the commands that it accepts you find yourself greeted 50% of the time with "I don't know how to do that". Now we're on the same turf as any good UX problem - power-users (who have the incentive to learn an interface) vs casual users (who don't and shouldn't have to). Chat bots seem to be targeting the latter but they require the time investment of the former.
PhasmaFelis 10y ago
> Until we have actual AI it will remain an obfuscated command line. I've never met a command line that wasn't obfuscated. Try learning Unix using only man pages as reference. With bots, you can at least expect reasonable responses to some natural-language requests.
PhasmaFelis 10y ago
> Until we have actual AI it will remain an obfuscated command line. I've never met a command line that wasn't obfuscated. Try learning Unix using only man pages as reference. With bots, you can at least expect reasonable responses to some natural-language requests.