Chat app Kik launches a bot store and anyone can make bots for it

When we’ve got our noses poked into smartphones for hours each day, it’s hard to believe that apps are starting to hit the end of the road. Yet studies consistently show that smartphone users have condensed their daily screentime time into just a handful of favourite apps, often a browser, a couple of chat and social apps and maybe a game or two. Sanghoon Park, a University of South Florida professor of teaching and learning, incorporates technology into his courses like a motivational chat bot called RAMI. But they were one-way only, whereas bots can be added to conversations — if you want to pull up the weather while discussing a trip, for example —  as well as one-on-one chats, and a whole lot more. In 2014, Kik it allowed selected brands to pay to develop broadcast bot accounts that could chat with users and serve up things like content or fashion recommendations. These accounts allowed brands — and particularly those in entertainment — to interact with users in an app they use daily and on an opt-in basis, potentially helping to forge a meaningful connection.

A new app rush

With less room for bots to jump in where humans cannot, the challenge for businesses on WeChat is to reply to customers within a few seconds of their first enquiry, with 12 seconds being the target, according to Schorr. Chat bots are becoming all the rage in online customer service, however, before boarding the bot boat, there are several perspectives companies should consider. “Unlike app fatigue, developing a bot makes sense because they can sit in a user’s contact list until they need them. So we think there will be a core set of bots that users will interact with, and a small set of core bots that live in conversations,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to say what the total number of bots users typical have will be,” he said. “We think this is another app store opportunity, but we want to grow carefully with the right kind of bots.

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Bots are applications that are designed to respond to conversational language. The aim is to create services — whether that’s the ability to order a pizza or to enter a meeting in a calendar — where the dialogue with the app is as natural and apparently unscripted as an interaction you might have with a human. Put your brand in front of 10,000+ tech and VC leaders across all three days of Disrupt 2025. Amplify your reach, spark real connections, and lead the innovation charge. The first few chat bots have settled into Facebook Messenger this week, but an army of the artificially intelligent helpers are on the way with a plan to change the way you get information, order food, shop and even stay entertained. Chat bots were one of the focal points of Facebook’s annual F8 developer’s conference this week in San Francisco.

Maybe we just want to get things done without having to do much talking at all. But one reason this works so well is that Google limits the scope of its tool. For each message, the service offers not just one reply but three, letting you choose the reply that best suits what you want to say, and these replies are typically just a few words long.

• Professors of online classes, like Park, are at a disadvantage when it comes to immediate motivational support because they don’t see the students physically disengage with facial expressions or body language.
• They can learn to recognize a cat by analyzing millions of cat photos.
• In the future, the chat bot could also use IBM’s Watson AlchemyLanguage capability to understand how a customer is feeling and then change its tone and actions accordingly.
• Talk about a bot search engine has included partners like Slack and Facebook Messenger, Cheng said.
• It allows you to create a bot of yourself, which interacts and talks to your friends like you but without you having to do so.

Most students either have trouble understanding the course material, don’t see the relevance of their coursework to their career goals or don’t find it personally interesting. How these Kik users react, and how developers use these tools to move things forward are the crucial elements here. Roberts expects brands to be particularly keen to translate their experiences to bots. Bots can either be viewed by individual platform or as an aggregate to display the best bots from all five bot platforms. The assistance is limited to two visas right now (B-2 extensions for business and travel, O-1 for exceptional individuals), but the plan is to extend it to H-1B and L-1 skilled worker visas.

The resulting product, while limited so far, offers a glimpse of Messenger’s evolving potential for news organizations, particularly small ones. Once users get through those initial prompts, someone from Civil Beat itself is able take over and field the user’s question or comment. Since then, ChatGPT has gained millions of users who turn to the chatbot for everything from routine web searches to guidance on how to give a friend career advice. Rivals, including Meta AI, Google’s Gemini, and DeepSeek, have also sprung up. « Several functions are going to get a lot more efficient, » he says.

One official account on the app, called Chumen Wenwen, is a digital assistant bot that acts like Google Now or Siri, which WeChat users can access to book flights or hotels. The developer behind @my_ali_bot, which lets you browse products on Chinese e-commerce site MyAliExpress on Telegram, says it took him a week to build the bot, which had about 38,000 users in January. Park also hopes to collaborate with other faculty members to learn how different disciplines interact with RAMI and how their individual coursework needs promote unique motivational strategies. While most students face the same motivational issues, the practical application may look different for a STEM major versus humanities major.

Rather than force consumers to stop what they’re doing and open a new app, chat bots allow companies to inject themselves into the places where people are already communicating. Instead of stopping to wait, download, and install an app (let alone find that app in the first place), users can call an Uber or schedule a meeting without disrupting the flow of their current conversations. This seamless experience puts services in reach of the many people who wouldn’t bother to visit the App Store.

Finally, there’s no shame in saying that “Dot” is a bot and not a human. Tech savvy people who are long accustomed to typing “/giphy lol” into Slack won’t be blown away by Kik’s bots, but that’s not really the point. Few of Kik’s hardcore users will be familiar with Telegram, Slack or others apps that are at the same stage of their botvolution as Kik. “We’re working with lots of partners… it sounds easy to get started but we are all figuring out what the UX will be like. It’s taken a long time for mobile apps, it’s been eight years since the iPhone launched, and we are still figuring that out, too,” Roberts added. There aren’t too many examples of bots in the market right now, although Facebook is hotly tipped to throw its hat into the ring at F8.

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Currently, privacy-focused Telegram and fast-growing work chat app Slack are the highest profile services that feature bots, but neither has a particular stronghold among the youth, a demographic that is hotly sought after by brands. In December, the online service introduced a test version of an « interactive agent » or programmed chat « buddy » called ZoeOnAOL. AIM users can add Zoe’s name to their buddy list in order to get answers to questions such as « What is the weather in San Francisco? » or simply « Weather 94105, » or to call up stock quotes.

If bots are going to replace any positions of employment it won’t happen any time soon, even in areas like remote customer service, where Facebook is encouraging businesses to use bots. The way fans interact with celebrities is changing, says Eval Pfeifel, co-founder of the Israeli startup Imperson which creates bots for popular characters like Miss Piggy to chat with users on Facebook Messenger. « I’m sure that in the future we will probably do actual celebrities. » Pfeifel has already tried simulating a few famous actors with bots and found his test group enjoyed talking to them. « Fans don’t want to suspend their belief. They want to believe it’s a real person. » This is a speculative one, but organizations and celebrities who pay people to man their Twitter feeds and Instagram accounts, could soon rely on bots as the new creative engines for interesting things to post. One bot developer suggested to me that bots could present a series of possible statements to say on Twitter, for instance, leaving human social media agents to simply choose which was best.

Migration from Intercom to Zendesk: Striving for customer excellence

There are many factors that can trigger negative investor sentiment, but that’s not insignificant revenue by any measure, and that could catch the attention of other bargain-hunting private equity firms. We’ve trod these numbers before, so instead of re-parsing Zendesk’s historical growth story and revenue growth re-acceleration, we’ll simply use its most recent results to parse where the company is today based on its final price tag. DestinationCRM.com is dedicated to providing Customer Relationship Management product and service information in a timely manner to connect decision makers and CRM industry providers now and into the future. While Intercom does have some self-service options, Zendesk’s Help Center is a comprehensive solution with deep customization, robust search functionality, and the ability to create a community forum where customers can share solutions and experiences. The severance package for affected employees would include three months of base salary, a prorated portion of an annual bonus, health insurance benefits, and immigration support among other things, the CEO wrote.

As part of the new Zendesk Suite, Zendesk also launched a comprehensive messaging solution. Adrian told me that they recognized that the way companies and consumers communicate has evolved. He said that communication used to be more “episodic”—with a clear beginning, middle, and end—but that it has evolved to be more free flowing.

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Companies just want to get the features they need at a reasonable cost. I had a chance earlier this week to chat with Adrian McDermott, president of products at Zendesk, about the auspicious revenue milestone. We also talked about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes that Zendesk has recently introduced to improve the features and capabilities they can deliver for customers.

The market’s wrath

For businesses using human and AI agents, Zendesk has a scheduling feature to ensure optimal staffing within the call center. Administrators can use this workforce management tool to determine the number of human agents needed based on factors such as holidays and inclement weather. Supervisors can route calls to the AI agents if there aren’t enough human agents.

Explore the future of AI on August 5 in San Francisco—join Block, GSK, and SAP at Autonomous Workforces to discover how enterprises are scaling multi-agent systems with real-world results. Anirban is an award-winning journalist with a passion for enterprise software, cloud computing, databases, data analytics, AI infrastructure, and generative AI. He won the 2024 Silver Azbee Award for Best News Article in the Technology category. He has a post-graduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. “When I joined at the end of November, I’d hoped a combination of improving macroeconomic conditions and streamlining costs would help us avoid this moment. Unfortunately, macroeconomic conditions have not improved and we find ourselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace,” Eggemeier wrote.

Streamlined Plans and Pricing

We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI. Eggemeier teases that more back-end system integrations will be revealed in the coming months to leverage the Zendesk AI better.

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• Zendesk goes beyond handling tickets by allowing you to set up automated workflows, SLAs, and ticket routing, ensuring no customer inquiry ever falls through the cracks.
• Today’s news doesn’t appear to be a good sign for undervalued SaaS companies, but Zendesk has navigated a number of difficult challenges throughout this year that led to this inauspicious conclusion.
• But let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of why Zendesk might just be the customer service solution your team has been craving.
• Intercom is a strong player in the customer service game, but for many growing businesses, it’s not quite the powerhouse that Zendesk is.
• Customers can help themselves before they even think about reaching out to your support team.

Today’s news doesn’t appear to be a good sign for undervalued SaaS companies, but Zendesk has navigated a number of difficult challenges throughout this year that led to this inauspicious conclusion. First, it turned down that $17 billion offer in February, a move we reported at the time that made activist investing firm Jana very unhappy. While Jana fumed, Zendesk continued to operate based on its own sense of its value — one, by the way, that TechCrunch agreed with in our analysis of that spurned deal.

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Here’s why making the jump could be the most strategic move you make this year. The Zendesk deal puts real data into the market about the value of recurring high-margin software revenues for companies growing at around the 30% mark. For companies hoping to exit at a double-digit revenue multiple, it’s bad news. The Zendesk saga of 2021 and 2022 has been complicated, full of twists and turns. « Troops strives to make it as easy to work with critical enterprise-application data as it is to use a smartphone. Everything is designed to work in an intuitive and natural way for humans—we call it ‘Software-at-your-Service’, » said Dan Reich, CEO of Troops, in a statement.

That worked out well for Zendesk—with increased demand for the right platform and tools to enable those relationships. For those who are not familiar with Zendesk, it is a customer relationship management (CRM) company—providing a platform and tools to enable businesses to establish and maintain relationships and manage and provide customer service. It is an essential function, because doing it right creates loyal customers and advocates, while doing it wrong leads to going out of business.

Role of Gen AI in Accelerating Digital Transformation in Financial Services: By Shuvo G Roy

We are only at the dawn of the age of AI, and are still feeling our way as we try to fathom where it will deliver the greatest benefit and, in the process, transform key aspects of our business. We have some way to go before the mist clears, but that’s what makes this such a fascinating time to be in financial services. Until recently, for example, banks’ loan underwriting and fulfilment process was heavily dependent on human beings. Now you can reconstruct this value chain using a collection of AI agents responsible for data collection, risk assessment, recommendation and loan fulfilment.

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• AI is reshaping the future of banking, offering unprecedented opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and customer-centricity.
• In Kenya, M-Pesa has integrated over 50 million users into the financial system since its inception in 2007, facilitating payments and savings through simple SMS technology.
• Initiatives such as cross-border payments and remittance solutions are pivotal in this expansion, addressing the needs of migrant workers and others who rely on international money transfers.
• AI technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA) are automating routine tasks and streamlining back-office operations, reducing manual errors and operational costs.
• We worried less about the latter when our technology was restricted to the back office and did mostly what it was told.

These systems achieved 90% accuracy in anomaly detection and contributed to a 40% reduction in fraud losses. His work directly enabled a 25% increase in product cross-selling and a 20% surge in customer investment activity, redefining how banks personalize services at scale. While it offers numerous benefits, including increased efficiency, personalized customer experiences, and data-driven decision-making, it also raises concerns regarding data privacy and potential job displacements. As banks navigate the Gen AI landscape, balancing these benefits and challenges becomes crucial.

• Additionally, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can help offer 24/7 support for customers, reducing friction and improving satisfaction.
• Adarsh naidu’s work is a testament to how generative AI, when implemented with insight and integrity, can transform not just banking infrastructure, but customer experience, risk management, and revenue growth.
• This content was researched, designed, and written entirely by human writers, editors, analysts, and illustrators.
• Most importantly, AI must also be positioned as a co-pilot, augmenting human decision-making rather than replacing it.
• Digital wallets like Paytm in India further simplify banking by offering secure, cashless financial management.

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As financial institutions compete in an increasingly digital, data-driven world, generative models like GANs and LLMs are emerging as critical tools to simulate financial behaviors, personalize services at scale, and unlock new revenue streams. What was once a traditional sector built on static rules and legacy systems is now embracing AI-driven agility, personalization, and intelligence. Appian’s inclusion underscores its unique approach to embedding AI within enterprise-wide financial workflows. With Appian, financial institutions can bring AI into processes to enhance operations from risk management to operational efficiency and customer service.

His ability to merge deep technical knowhow with strategic impact positions him as a key architect of AI-driven innovation in the financial world. Despite fintech and AI advancements, challenges like poor internet infrastructure, financial illiteracy, and cultural distrust continue to hinder universal financial inclusion. In rural areas, unreliable connectivity limits access to digital banking, prompting public-private partnerships to expand network coverage.

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Insights into its potential often come from consulting reports or academic opinion pieces, which tend to be speculative and lack real-world data. By striking a balance between innovation and oversight, the banking industry can harness the full potential of Gen AI and fintech to create a more equitable and accessible global financial landscape. By leveraging data-driven insights, fintech platforms reduce risks and expand outreach, integrating more individuals into the formal economy. As these innovations evolve, they continue to break barriers and promote financial accessibility for all, driving economic growth and empowerment. At a very high level, IBM’s transformation work within financial services primarily addresses migrating infrastructure to hybrid cloud, and decoupling monolithic systems at the application level.

To unlock this, AI must be more than a patchwork of business unit projects—it must be an enterprise-wide function, much like HR or finance. That requires a dedicated AI team, led by a senior executive reporting to the COO, ensuring AI is embedded across operations, not confined to fragmented initiatives. This team should combine AI specialists with experienced business leaders— people from the spectrum of Banking products – from Money Markets to Mortgages, Prime Brokerage to POS terminals – ensure AI solutions are built with real industry insight. The presence of sensitive information across finance creates natural limits on the types of use cases that banks pursue—at least for now. Because BNY mostly operates in the institutional space, meaning it doesn’t hold consumer data like credit card or mortgage information, it has more freedom than most competitors.

The regulated space for financial services providers, including their use of chatbots, places the responsibility on banks to meet legal and compliance obligations. This ensures they protect consumers, provide accurate and reliable information and remain within industry standards and regulations. Generative AI, including platforms like ChatGPT, is transforming industries by making processes simpler, more efficient and easier to interact with. However, in the heavily regulated financial services sector the benefits also come with some serious risks. So it’s vital that this emerging technology is employed responsibly in order to maintain stability and trust.

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Digital wallets like Paytm in India further simplify banking by offering secure, cashless financial management. Advanced AI algorithms also refine financial products, from robo-advisors managing real-time investments to AI-enhanced digital payments. Meanwhile, evolving regulatory frameworks, such as those from the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank, ensure ethical AI deployment in banking. A key impact of fintech is financial inclusion, as mobile and cloud-based platforms extend services to underserved populations, stimulating economic growth. Its adaptability to consumer demands and regulatory shifts keeps it at the forefront of financial innovation.

Banking on AI: Firms such as BNY balance high risk with the potential for transformative tech

The global outreach of banking services, particularly to marginalized communities in developing countries, is being significantly enhanced by innovative fintech solutions and blockchain technology. Initiatives such as cross-border payments and remittance solutions are pivotal in this expansion, addressing the needs of migrant workers and others who rely on international money transfers. Platforms like Wise have revolutionized this space by drastically reducing transaction fees, making it more affordable for workers to send money back home. Meanwhile, decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms built on blockchain technology offer an alternative financial system that operates without traditional intermediaries. This not only provides financial autonomy to unbanked populations but also ensures secure, transparent transactions that bypass conventional banking’s stringent documentation requirements. But these high-cost, high-touch interactions can be less than satisfying for customers when handled through a call center if, for example, technical systems are outdated or data sources are disconnected.