adminSOFTWARE ROBOT
A software robot or bot is a software program that runs automated tasks over the internet or within a computer system. Software robots are designed to automate repetitive tasks such as interacting with users and simulating human like conversations.
There are several types of software robots or bots and they are; chatbots, task automation bots, web bots, social media bots, gaming bots and cognitive bots.
Chatbots are designed to simulate human like conversations with users through text or voice interactions. Example of chatbots includes; virtual assistants like Siri, Google assistant and Alexa.
Task automation bots automate repetitive tasks such as data entry, document processing and work flow management. Example of task automation bots includes robotic process automation (RPA) tools like UiPath and automation anywhere.
Web bots automate web based tasks such as web scraping, data extraction and online form filling. Example of web boys includes web scraping tools like beautiful soup and scrapy.
Social media bots automate social media tasks such as posting, commenting and engaging with users. Examples of social media bots include social media management tools like Hootsuite and Buffer.
Gaming bots automate game play such as playing games, interacting with game environments and making decisions. Example of gaming bots includes gaming bots like AlphaGo and DeepMind.
Cognitive bots use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence such as language understanding and decision making. Examples of cognitive bots include IBM Watson and Microsoft bot framework.
The advantages of software bots are; software bot operate at a very high speeds (i.e. in milliseconds), 24/7, freeing up human resources for more strategic and creative work. Software robots or bots reduce errors and inconsistencies such as zero typos, fatigue errors or skipped steps if they are properly coded. Software robots apart from providing 24/7 customer support also provide personalized interactions and faster response times. Software robots reduce labor costs drastically by automating tasks that would have involved human interaction or operators. Software robots are capable of handling large volumes of tasks and interactions without compromising on competence or performance.
The disadvantages of software robots are; software robots have a limited understanding of human language and may not effectively carry out language based tasks. Software robots cannot handle exceptions it is not programmed for, thus leading to frequent crash in the process. Software robots require high quality data to function effectively, which can be a challenge in some applications. Software robots may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, data breeches or other security threats. Also the use of software robots may result in job displacement and loss if not properly planned against by developing alternate job replacement policy.
Software robots require regular maintenance and updates to ensure they continue to function effectively.
Software robots or bots find applications in the following: customer service where they provide 24/7 customer support; Marketing where they are used to automate social media tasks, email marketing, market promotions and advertising. Finance where they are used to automate accounting, book keeping and financial reporting. Health care where they are used to automate medical record management, patient engagement and clinical decision support. Manufacturing where they are used to automate production workflow, quality control and inventory management.
The future of software robots or bots depends on the advances and development of the following technologies: AI native bots, which are bots that can reason about exceptions and select the most viable pathway; multimodal bots which can react to screen or vision and other prompts; bot to bot protocols where agents to agents can negotiate and execute the most favorable decisions; improvements in AI and ML will enable bots to become more sophisticated, accurate and human like; also increased collaboration between humans and bots are envisaged for the future with more businesses leveraging bots to improve efficiency and customer experience.
SOURCES:
- Automation, production systems and computer integrated manufacturing by Mikell P. Groover.
- Chat bots: A comprehensive guide to building conversational interfaces by Michael McTear and TuTu Nguyen.
- Desiging bots: Creating conversational user interfaces by Michael Muller.
- Designing Autonomous AI by Kence Anderson.
- Agents at work by Leslie M. Smith.
