'Chatbots, the zenith of human creation': Girt by CNET podcast 68
Facebook's future in the hands of F8, the online service aiding the homeless, the true story behind digital music sales and the new, really expensive, Kindle Oasis.
When we last looked at chatbots we were slightly in awe of Microsoft's Tay, the "horny racist" teen bot that had jaws dropping and monocles smashing around the net. Thankfully Mark Zuckerberg doesn't tolerate those sorts of antics in his house.
Facebook's take on chatbots are going to be integrated into the Messenger app, allowing you to interact with businesses and services the same way you'd chat with friends. It's bold and interesting, but just one element of the entire F8 developer conference that saw Facebook double down on live video streaming, 360 videos, internet-delivering dones and much more.
While the idea of a mobile web service for homeless people might sound odd, that's because there's a lot of misunderstanding around the nature of homelessness. AskIzzy is an Aussie-made 'app' that's connecting homeless people to the services that can make a real difference in their lives.
According to the Australian Recording Industry Association, music sales are up this year, thanks to strong growth in digital sales. But is that that the whole story? We check out the man behind the curtain when it comes to the sales figures.
Finally, there's a new Kindle in town. It's the lightest and thinnest ever, but is the Oasis worth the incredible AU$450 price tag?
Podcast
Want to Know More?
Facebook tempts F8
- All hail Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, king of the bots
- 4 big things Facebook announced during its F8 keynote
- Soon you can order flowers or get the news on Facebook Messenger
- Zuckerberg's Oculus has plans to bring computers to your glasses
- Bots and You: Learning to live with chatbots
Aussie Homeless Services
Aria Sale Figures
The very pricey Oasis