After Lots Of Talk, Microsoft’s Bots Show Signs Of Life

May 17, 2017 Good morning! The way Microsoft sees it, chatbots will eventually replace apps as the dominant way we interact with personal technology. They are more dynamic than apps because they are conversational--they learn what we want by engaging us in question-and-answer. The first bots that showed up last year from Microsoft, Facebook, and others were largely disappointments, simply because they often couldn't do much and just passed the user on to some website or service. But we visited Microsoft earlier this year and came back believing that [bots are now starting to get smarter and may soon live up to last year's hype](. —[M]([ark Sullivan]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [How To Invest Your Money Responsibly, Sustainably, Or For Impact (They’re Not The Same)]( If you want to put your money to work and to doing good, here’s everything you need to look for. --------------------------------------------------------------- [After Lots Of Talk, Microsoft’s Bots Show Signs Of Life]( A behind-the-scenes encounter with the company’s most promising current and future bots, and the humans who are trying to make them as common as apps. --------------------------------------------------------------- [How Lauryn Morris Made A Spectacle Of Snap’s Hit Sunglasses]( Here’s why the design lead for Snap’s Spectacles is one of the Most Creative People in Business 2017. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Why R/GA and Reply.ai Created A Custom Bot Maker For Small Businesses]( BotBot is like a Squarespace for bots, allowing anyone to build a Facebook chatbot right from their mobile phone. --------------------------------------------------------------- [What Happened When I (Almost) Gave Up Facebook, Email, And Texting For A Month]( With a few simple guide-rules, one freelancer managed to kick his social media habits for good. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Can A Global Alliance Of 22 Mayors Tame Airbnb, Uber, And The Gig Economy?]( New York City Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen wants cities to band together. --------------------------------------------------------------- [What A Culture Of Leaks Says About Trump’s Leadership]( The implications of a boss who loves to brag. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Can Ticketmaster’s Anti-Bot Assault Fix Its Most Infuriating Problem?]( “Verified Fan” fights scalper bots to make those Harry Styles tickets easier to snag—but there’s still room for improvement. --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Feds And Tech Firms Who Let Ransomware Spread Must Help Stop It]( Unless software companies do a better job of protecting software and government snoops start behaving more responsibly, WannaCry-style attacks will proliferate. --------------------------------------------------------------- [What’s Your American Dream Score? This Quiz Will Tell You]( The results might disabuse you of the idea that everything you achieved was just because of your hard work. --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Counterintuitive Reason You Need To Quit More Things Earlier]( We’re always told to persist, but sometimes the smartest thing to do is quit early. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Why Bristol-Myers Squibb Has Cancer Patients and Survivors Talk To Staff]( Murdo Gordon, chief commercial officer of the company, explains why they never stay satisfied with the status quo. Share this newsletter [Share]( http%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Ffastcompany%2Fthe-robots-are-coming-for-your-wardrobe-1006626 [Tweet]( http%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Ffastcompany%2Fthe-robots-are-coming-for-your-wardrobe-1006626) [Forward]( Did someone forward you this email? [Subscribe here!]( Too many emails? [Change your subscription preferences here.]( You're receiving this email because you opted in on our website. [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all Fast Company emails]( Mansueto Ventures, 7 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007-2195