We might call them bots, but the more responsive, personal, and seemingly intelligent our conversational technologies become, the more the customer will think of them not only as the voice of a company, but an extension of the company brand itself.

Jonathan Foster, leader of the Edge Browser, Mobile Experiences & Conversational UI writing teams at Microsoft, will share insights into the development of Microsoft’s intelligent assistant Cortana and the creation of bot personalities and how they might inform the power of conversational UX in retail experiences.

What you’ll come away with:

• Perspectives on designing personality in humanlike interactions
• Insights into the power of voice interaction
• What kind of investment is necessary to create an intelligent brand expression

Key reflection questions:

• What are the potential benefits that human-like interaction will bring to retail experiences?
• What are some of the ethical considerations we might encounter?
• How might natural interaction impact our retail experiences on premise and online?