Microsoft’s Tay, while an interesting AI experiment, ultimately suffered a racist meltdown last week, but it looks like the company has no plans to give up on chat bots any time soon.
A new report stemming from Bloomberg Businessweek cites that Microsoft has plans to reveal several new prototype chat bots at the company’s Build 2016 conference in San Francisco over the course of the next few days. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in the past has discussed his vision for bots to utilized as a “conversation platform,” with specific AI designed to accomplish various tasks.
For example, some bots could be built directly into Skype and designed to help users book holidays, keep track of deliveries, or manage email repsonses. Rumours also indicate Microsoft has plans to continue working with its first AI chat bot effort, Tay, hopefully removing the bot’s racist tendencies from its AI algorithm.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about chat bots being used as a platform. Last month we covered chat platform Waterloo-based Kik’s chat bot ambitions at DX3, discussing how the teen-focused social network is using AI to help advertisers reach a younger audience.
This morning, Tay, Microsoft’s chatbot briefly came back to life, apparently on its own accord, and spammed a number of users with the message, “you are too fast… please take a rest,” followed by a series of tweets professing its love for Marijuana. Skynet’s AI takeover is surely immanent.
Our own Igor Bonifacic is down at Microsoft’s Build 2016 today bringing you all the news from the show floor.
[source]Bloomberg Businessweek[/source]
Related reading: Microsoft Build 2016 preview: Everything you need to know
