algorithms: ai, ar, vr, crypto
Kik’s Bot Shop
Among the 110 or so bots featured in the bot shop are brand names like Funny or Die, CNN, and Victoria’s Secret.
Apps Beat Bots for Now
Some have argued that chatbots booking flights, calling cabs and even overturning parking tickets could spell doom for apps, especially since messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger and Skype are allowing developers to add these convenience bots. But the numbers still show an upward trend for smartphone apps.
Source: Charts: Chatbots aren’t luring Americans away from their smartphone apps — Quartz
VR Does the Movies
Viewers watch the virtual reality movie “Born into Exile,” about two pregnant women who are due to deliver in Za’atari refugee camp, Jordan, during a major women’s health and rights conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, May 17, 2016. While short VR films exist today, consumers who want to watch a full-length movie in virtual reality will have to wait.
Source: Virtual Reality Has Arrived, But Not for Full-length Movies
See also: Google Recruiting Web Stars, Hulu for Virtual Reality Push