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Ahead of us, there are two roads:
A future based on artificial intelligence, building toward a real understanding of what a person is saying, then generating the right response. This is hard to do with a high degree of accuracy, and leads to all sorts of potentially creepy sci-fi futures.
A future of controllable, scripted responses to a fixed set of commands. These bots may be full of personality and generate complex scripts, but their understanding is basic, and they can’t guarantee a nuanced response.
Choosing the right road means choosing the right way to understand the other side of the conversation. To what degree should a bot anticipate what’s happening on the other side of the wall?...
Chatbots don’t need to bother with human niceties. Intercom’s Elizabeth McGuane makes a case for erring on the side of silence.