Keynote: Conversations with Machines
summary
Claims that conversational interfaces will reshape work and services, backed by concrete examples: Amazon Echo and Google Home voice devices (30 million+ units forecast), Alexa with ~10,000 skills but only ~3% 14‑day retention versus ~10% for mobile apps, Amazon’s $2.5M prize for 20‑minute natural dialogue. Demonstrations include Hello Barbie (pre‑recorded actor responses), Johnny Walker’s Alexa tasting skill, Digit’s text‑first savings prototype, and services like Finn, Magic and x.ai’s Amy that fall back on humans to scale. Biggest gaps are limited contextual memory and the need for local cultural understanding.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (7)
- 0:00Introduction and background
- 1:01The conversational landscape
- 8:11Current technical challenges
- 14:43Why conversational UI matters
- 20:17Business and design potential
- 28:23Future growth and opportunities
- 36:45Q&A and closing remarks
related talks
50mSpeak To Me: Voice App Conversation Practices
55mDesigning for speech
33mStrategies for Conversational Product Experiences
33mYour e-commerce bot
52mThe most natural UI. Building voice-enabled experiences with Amazon Alexa
18mAlexa's next AI trick: Disappearing
42mConversational AI in Amazon Alexa
10mA Day in the Life: An Immersive Data Experience