Recent "Build 2016" conference introduced new "Bot Framework"
that is suggested to be as important in future as .NET framework is now.
A bold statement.
Thanks to power of Azure cloud computing resources and improvements in AI and ML,
natural language communication becomes a real possibility,
enabling next generation of voice based interfaces.
So after GUI, Web, Touch here comes a flexible and natural "conversation" computing.
Cortana (Microsoft), Siri (Apple), Google Now, Alexa (Amazon) are examples.
With "Bot Framework" "conversation" can be added to any application.
The same idea was around for a long time with name "Intelligent Agents",
apparently name "Bot" is found to be more market-friendly.
With IoT, Bots, ubiquitous computing is becoming a reality.
Bot Framework
"Build and connect intelligent bots to interact with your users naturally wherever they are, from text/sms to Skype, Slack, Office 365 mail and other popular services."
Keynote Presentation | Build 2016 | Channel 9
Build 2016 | Channel 9
Microsoft Build Developer Conference | March 30 – April 1, 2016
Microsoft’s Bot Framework will help everyone build their own chatbot | The Verge
LUIS: Language Understanding Intelligent Service (beta)
"Language Understanding Intelligent Service (LUIS)
LUIS lets your app understand language"
Microsoft Cognitive Services
"Microsoft Cognitive Services let you build apps with powerful algorithms using just a few lines of code. They work across devices and platforms such as iOS, Android, and Windows, keep improving, and are easy to set up."
Building a Conversational Bot: From 0 to 60 | Build 2016 | Channel 9
Building Intelligent Apps | Build 2016 | Channel 9
bots - Bing
Getting started | Documentation | Bot Framework (Microsoft)
Bots, Bots, Bots and Pig Latin | Coding4Fun Blog | Channel 9