Chatbot Conference NYC 2019: The Beginning of NLG & OPEN AI

New York City | May 22, 2019

Jul 24, 2024

The Chatbot Conference 2019, held in New York City, was a pivotal event that showcased the latest advancements and applications in conversational AI and chatbot technologies.

This conference brought together industry leaders, innovators, and experts to share their insights and explore the future of AI-driven communication.

This Conference was the first time we featured NLG and OpenAI which is all the rage today.

Key Takeaways from the Conference

1. Natural Language Generation (NLG) for Conversational AI by Sander Wubben

One of the most groundbreaking discussions at the conference was on Natural Language Generation (NLG), presented by Sander Wubben. This was the first time NLG was prominently featured, and it has since become a cornerstone of conversational AI.

Wubben's talk focused on how bots can generate answers based on training data and statistics rather than traditional Natural Language Processing (NLP) or Natural Language Understanding (NLU). He explained that while NLG is not yet ready for full production use due to unpredictability, it is highly effective in training chatbots by generating paraphrased examples and assisting human agents with response suggestions.

This technology has revolutionized how businesses interact with customers, providing more personalized and efficient communication.

2. How TurboTax Plans to Save Millions with Chatbots

Casey Phillips, a product manager at Intuit, delivered a compelling presentation on the implementation of AI and chatbots for TurboTax. He introduced the TurboTax digital assistant, designed to streamline the tax-filing process by automating customer support. This chatbot has significantly reduced support phone calls, increased engagement with self-help content, and improved product conversion rates. Phillips also discussed future enhancements, such as proactive support features and domain-specific intent matching.

3. Conversational Design Framework by Hans Van Damm

Hans Van Damm provided valuable insights into the fundamentals of conversational AI and design. He emphasized the importance of creating ideal conversations that meet user needs and business objectives. Van Damm introduced the concept of Conversational Design Intelligence (CDI), which combines conversation design principles with behavioral science. Key elements of CDI include social proof, anticipatory enthusiasm, expectation management, and a behavioral design toolkit, all aimed at guiding user behavior effectively.