Skype has today announced the launch of “Skype Bots” for consumers and developers, which introduces a new way to bring expertise, products, services and entertainment into our daily Skype messaging. According to the official blog entry, Skype Bots will be available to users through messaging today, while in future, it will also be available for audio and video calling.
Skype notes that each Skype Bot will improve your overall Skype experience, by adding “a new dimension into your everyday Skype chats by helping turn your ideas and plans into actions”. The company is releasing a variety of previews today, including a new Skype client for iOS to bring the Skype Bot experience to all users, a preview of Skype Bots for users to experience and to provide feedback (currently available in Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Singapore, and US), and a new Skype developer program to get started building Skype Bots.
At today’s Build 2016 conference, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella showcased how these technologies work together to bring you entirely new experiences. The Cortana and Skype demonstration showed how Cortana, your personal digital assistant, can help you get things done directly in your Skype chats. For example, Cortana proactively helps you find information, manages your calendar and connects to other Bots that are relevant to you, all without leaving Skype.
You can experience the preview Bots right now in the latest versions of Skype for iPhone and iPad. Meanwhile, check out the following video to get a better idea of how Skype Bots work:
