Despite being around for decades, bots are now taking the spotlight in tech. In this show, we will look at bots and see how they are increasingly becoming a part of our lives even without we knowing it.

 

Bots

Gartner predicted that by the year 2020, the average person will have more conversations with bots than with their spouse. This is scary.  We will be speaking more to computers and tech inventions, instead of our spouses - a live person.

We are becoming so reliant on technology. So is technology or bots going to replace the other party in our conversations?

Sad to say, yes, It sure looks that way.

So, what is a bot exactly? There is a very good article on CNET which gives an excellent overview of bots - https://www.cnet.com/how-to/what-is-a-bot/

Some developers and companies believe that people are tired of apps and would rather use bots. Instead of having many different apps on your phone, you could have one with multiple bots that can help you perform a number of different tasks, like ordering food or checking sports scores.

As of now It looks like bots are going to continue to evolve into a conversation companion. Scary as that may sound, it looks like that is what our future is going to be like.

 

PayPal's Bot

Built on the Slack platform PayPal launched it’s very first bot. Slack is a messaging platform with 5 million daily active users, it is used by teams to keep their conversations in one place so they can assess it wherever they go.

With this new bot, PayPal is making it very easy to send money between PayPal accounts without leaving your Slack conversation.

To get started on this you can install the PayPal bot available on the Slack App Directory. After it was installed, you need to link your PayPal account and set your preferred transaction settings, including when you want to review and approve transactions.

The PayPal bot is currently available to Slack users in Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. 

 

Automation

Automation is way for organizations to streamline processes, enhance performance, and boost their bottom line.

But as machines or software take over tasks that human used to do, it usually results in someone losing their job.

The question is: How many jobs will an automation revolution kill?

A recent report from a UK based think tank, Reform estimated that almost 250,000 public sector workers will lose their jobs over the next fifteen years due to automation.

The report went on to add that Web sites and “chat bots” will replace as much as 90 per cent of public administrators and thousands of employees, general practitioners, police, and others in the U.K. by 2030. 

Of course, such a massive job cut will result in savings of as much as $6.5 billion a year but what about people?

Some may argue that automation will result in a leaner, smarter workforce so as to deliver better value for our money whether it is in the private sector or the public sector.

Another argument for automation is that it can be more effective in dealing with the growing number of cybercrimes.

But what about traditional crimes, with less in the workforce and the growing number of unemployment, people are left with only one way to get what they need, steal! It’s just human nature.

With bots, automation, AI, we are on the verge of getting into a time when things will be good on one hand, like making it easier to get things done, but on the other hand, with people being displaced and out of jobs, that will create chaos and tension that wreak havoc on society. Something to contemplate as bots and automation take the spotlight.

Thanks for joining me on WRLWND radio. As always, stay safe in the technology WRLWND.