Chatbots have come a long way in 50 years. The first chatbot, called Eliza, was developed in 1966 and used simple pattern matching to hold conversations. Now, major tech companies are integrating chatbots into popular messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, making them accessible to billions of users. While early chatbots introduced by Facebook still have limitations, the technology continues to improve. In the future, chatbots could perform tasks like providing insurance quotes, assisting with accidents, or listing available jobs directly within messaging applications. This integration could significantly disrupt how customers interact with businesses.

1. Chatbots.
Where it came from and
where it’s going.
Joey Rigor, Kontak Mobile Apps April 15, 2016

2. Facebook’s
announcement that
chatbots will be
integrated in Messenger
stirred up a sleeping
dragon.

3. Yup, the first chatbot
was developed exactly
50 years ago!

4. Where it came from.
In 1966 Joseph Weizenbaum,
a professor at the MIT Artificial
Intelligence Laboratory, published one
of the most celebrated computer
programs of all time, Eliza.

5. Eliza’s system involves the recognition of cue
words in the input.
Then it generates pre-programmed responses
based from that input.
This method was eventually copied
by chatbot developers ever since.

6. Simple pattern-matching.
That’s it!
Not exactly rocket science, isn’t it?

7. Billionaire tech jocks and
silicon valley nerds just re-
packaged it as a business
model to adapt to the times.
$$$

8. So, where is it going?
Most people prefer to talk with
programs that are human-like rather
than clicking an app.

9. Chatbot provides an efficient and
interactive medium that gives back
information from queries or cues
that is straightforward and falls into
predictable categories.

10. Since the marketplace for apps is
maturing, getting the user's attention
will become more difficult.

11. Having a presence in popular social
media platforms is the way to go.
Chatbots will fill this need.

12. Chatbots will be a game
changer.
Imagine your product or service
becoming easily available in a
platform with a billion users.

13. Facebook introduced the flower-ordering bot
and the how’s-the-weather bot. But this is just
the tip of the iceberg.
Imagine a how-much-insurance-can-I-get bot,
oops-I-had-a-car-accident bot or even what-
jobs-are-available bot.
The list is endless.

14. Chatbots built on Messenger will close
the gap (and the friction) between
customers and businesses.
But there are still limitations in
the existing technology.

15. As in any new business model, it
takes time for it to work.
This was highlighted by the chatbots Zuckerberg
introduced. Tech bloggers tried it and found it
hard to use with a limited “intelligence”.
Not yet ready for mainstream but it will be. Soon.

16. Other platforms will follow.
Microsoft just introduced its bot
framework for Windows.

17. Wait until people get used to it but be
ready to build one.
It will disrupt the way our customers
buys products and services.
So what can we do
now?

18. AboutMe
As a software developer, I have always
been interested in discovering new
technology, how it can be used and how
to harness its potential.
Joey Rigor, CEO Kontak Mobile Apps.
kontakios.com