Google’s new chat app Allo is out in the UK, and I’ve been playing around with it.
There are two key artificial intelligence (AI) features that stick out in the app: firstly, the ability to interact with bots (the Google Assistant, which I’ve written about in a second post here), and secondly the way the app suggests responses while you chat.
I took screenshots during my first conversations using the app to see how the AI algorithms were set up before it had begun to learn much from my behaviour. Here are the highlights…
1. Allo assumes you are amused by everything
One of the most common responses suggested by Allo is ‘Haha’. Some triggers are more obvious, like ‘LOL’…
…whereas I’m not sure about others:
Perhaps ‘surprised’ is triggering the ‘Haha’ response here
I’m guessing the exclamation mark prompts this ‘Haha’ suggestion. (And ‘obviously’ might be triggering ‘Exactly!’)
2. Allo wants you to be positive, yeah!
‘Yeah’ is the other most common suggested response.
3. This can lead to a conversation entirely made up of Google prompts
A ‘Yeah’ followed by a ‘Yeah’ triggers a ‘Haha’. Now the bot is talking with itself…
4. Allo knows the art of conversation is dead
No need to worry when someone starts a conversation: Allo can manage that for you
5. Questions only have 3 possible responses
6. If you’re not being clear Allo knows it
(And that) appears to be the fragment prompting a ‘What?’ response
7. …And it also knows if you’re being clear
‘That’s a…’ with more text prompts more confirmatory responses, perhaps.
8. …or uncertain
“I don’t know” appears to trigger a ‘Me neither’ response:
…while “probably” appears to trigger three options.
The addition of ‘I hope’ might be prompting ‘I don’t’ and ‘Yeah’
“I thought” also seems to be picked up
9. But there’s only one response to certainty
Perhaps “What I think” is the key phrase prompting ‘Right’ here.
10. Allo can understand emojis too (maybe)
11. Sometimes the only right response is ‘Oh’
Does “I’ve tried” prompt ‘Oh’?
12. The assistant will butt in even when not invited
In-conversation questions about the weather prompt the assistant to get involved
The Google Assistant bot is worthy of a whole post by itself, so I’ve written over here.
Have you had similar experiences – or am I speculating too widely? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
Online Journalism Blog 
Reblogged this on Matthews' Blog and commented:
Interesting find
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