Google launches Allo smart messaging app for Android and iOS | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Emil Protalinski

Google released their version of WhatsApp, with very powerful AI capabilities. It is a very different approach to Messenger, where you can request information from a bot within a conversation. I am pretty sure Google is reaching like crazy big brands to create their @mycompany bot. My view: I don’t think it will take off, being very late to the party and having as their main differentiator a very geeky thing. 

Twilio study: most consumers now want to use messaging to interact with businesses | TechCrunch

Twilio confirms what we already knew: people communicate via messaging. A lot. So naturally they’d prefer to extend that to their communications with businesses. Further proof that bots have a place as the new standard (not fad) for B2C communications.

Shopify’s Michael Perry on bots and automation: ‘We are on the cusp of some massive sh*t’ | VentureBeat | Bots | by Khari Johnson

Founder of Kit bot (that was acquired by Shopify back in April) talks the state of bots, and more importantly, the utility-focused future he sees for them. If a bot can’t deliver value faster than a person can, it’s not doing it’s job (looking at you, Poncho).

Learnings from the first Botness survey – Botness – Medium

Interesting glimpse into the Bot creator community. While it’s only based on a pool of 130 respondents, an informative perspective into who/how developers are testing the bot waters...

PennyCat Is a Chat Bot that Delivers Discounts to Any Store, When You Need Them

Simpler is better--PennyCat proves that simple, single-focused features are the way to get actual consumers on board, and more importantly, actually conveying the long-term value of bots (A.K.A. something regular people actually want/aren't annoyed by)

Exclusive: Apple acquires Turi in major exit for Seattle-based machine learning and AI startup - GeekWire

Apple acquired Turi, a machine learning platform, for around $200M. Apple has more than $200 billion in cash, and there's more and more machine learning in the latest iOS and Android versions, so it shouldn't be surprising if they are looking to acquire other startups in the space of AI and ML.

Talkabot conference. September 28 and 29 in Austin, TX.

Talkabot is this week! Conference for developers, entrepreneurs and technologists looking to understand more about what it takes to build a successful messaging experience. Get a discount with this link.