Our lives are about to change in a significant way. We are on the verge of a major tech revolution that will transform the way we use our mobiles and computers. It will invade almost every aspect of our life. Get ready to usher in the bot revolution.
What is a bot, you wonder? To understand bots, it is important to have the right context first. If you look at the history of the consumer technology industry, there have been three major computing eras so far. Each era lasted around a decade and was defined by a different choice of platform and application formats that determined how we used computers.
The first was the PC era, starting roughly in the mid-80s. Each PC came with a standard platform i.e. an operating system (e.g. Windows, Mac) using which the user downloaded desktop applications (e.g. Powerpoint, Excel) to accomplish specific tasks. The second was the web era, starting roughly in the mid-90s. In this era, the platform was now the browser (e.g. Netscape, Internet Explorer) using which the user could visit different websites (e.g. Yahoo, Amazon) to accomplish specific tasks. The third was the smartphone era, starting roughly in the mid-00s. In this era, the platform was the mobile operating system (e.g. iOS, Android) using which the user could download mobile applications (e.g. Instagram, Angry Birds) to accomplish specific tasks.
Each of these eras radically transformed the way we use computers, making computers easier, faster and cheaper to use than before. Each era overcame the drawbacks of the prior one – the web made the PC a connected device, while mobile expanded the computer’s reach to billions more. Each era represented a major disruption – creating both opportunities and threats for businesses and individuals. Multiple, major new businesses emerged, while others perished. Businesses and users that adapted moved forward, while others lagged or didn’t survive. Each of these eras essentially redefined the arc of human progress. It really is hard to overstate the impact of each of these transformations.
We are now at the beginning of the fourth – the bot era. In this era, starting (predictably) in the mid-10s, the platform is the messaging app using which the user can chat with bots to accomplish specific tasks. A bot is just a software program that can send and receive messages. Think of the bot as just the latest re-incarnation of the desktop client, website and app.
Bots will enable you to do many of the same things that you previously did using websites and apps – however, you will now be able to do it from within your favorite messaging app. Bots will enable you to shop, order pizza, book taxis, complete banking transactions and more. This will eliminate the need to download apps or click through browsers. Using these services will be as simple as chatting with a friend. The user interface will now be conversational and more natural. Bots make innovation faster and cheaper and will unleash a wave of interesting new services that we can scarcely imagine today. Building upon the prior eras, the impact of this transition will be even greater than the two earlier ones.
In upcoming articles, we’ll review different aspects of this major tech revolution. Stay tuned.
Authored by Beerud Sheth, co-founder and CEO of Gupshup.
