With #MSBuild2020 due to kick off in the next few hours, I've collected a bunch of cool announcements in the AI and chatbot space for the community.
Loads of cool new stuff being built by the @msbotframework Team.
(mega-thread)
Loads of cool new stuff being built by the @msbotframework Team.
(mega-thread)
Some of the main areas that have received updates:
- Bot Framework Composer is now GA
- Bot Framework SDK v4.9
- Azure Bot Service
- Virtual Assistant 1.0 now generally available
- Speech, Language Understanding & QnA Maker
- Bot Framework Composer is now GA
- Bot Framework SDK v4.9
- Azure Bot Service
- Virtual Assistant 1.0 now generally available
- Speech, Language Understanding & QnA Maker
I'm particularly interested in the new "Generated Dialog" tooling.
This lets you auto-generate Bot Framework Composer asssets from JSON schema / definition files!
Updates to Bot Framework Composer and Adaptive look awesome. Great stuff!
This lets you auto-generate Bot Framework Composer asssets from JSON schema / definition files!
Updates to Bot Framework Composer and Adaptive look awesome. Great stuff!
Generated Dialogs:
Let you automatically create robust Bot Framework Composer assets from JSON or JSON Schema that implement best practices like out-of-order slot filling, ambiguity resolution, help, cancel, correction and list manipulation.
Let you automatically create robust Bot Framework Composer assets from JSON or JSON Schema that implement best practices like out-of-order slot filling, ambiguity resolution, help, cancel, correction and list manipulation.
Azure Bot Service
The Direct Line App Service Extension is now GA.
This let's customers have greater control over how data is stored & transmitted within their bot using Direct Line or Webchat.
The Direct Line App Service Extension is now GA.
This let's customers have greater control over how data is stored & transmitted within their bot using Direct Line or Webchat.
Virtual Assistant 1.0 is now GA
This is a Virtual Assistant Solution Accelerator and has now reached version 1.0.
This let's developers quickly stand up a fully functional Virtual Assistant that can be modified to their own unique requirements.
This is a Virtual Assistant Solution Accelerator and has now reached version 1.0.
This let's developers quickly stand up a fully functional Virtual Assistant that can be modified to their own unique requirements.
Speech, Language Understanding and QnA Maker
Speech - more language coverage!
Language - improved labelling!
QnA - now includes RBAC and improved editing!
Speech - more language coverage!
Language - improved labelling!
QnA - now includes RBAC and improved editing!
Bot Framework Orchestrator:
Now in private preview, this provides a transformer model based orchestration capability optimized for chatbots.
It helps deliver improved accuracy of Skill based routing which can can be critical for sophisticated conversational experiences.
Now in private preview, this provides a transformer model based orchestration capability optimized for chatbots.
It helps deliver improved accuracy of Skill based routing which can can be critical for sophisticated conversational experiences.
On-demand content 1:
"Bot Framework Composer": Bot Framework’s new collaborative Conversational AI development environment is now *GA*
- Publish Profiles
- Drag n Drop chatbot creation
- Direct Skills integration
- Publish directly to Azure
"Bot Framework Composer": Bot Framework’s new collaborative Conversational AI development environment is now *GA*
- Publish Profiles
- Drag n Drop chatbot creation
- Direct Skills integration
- Publish directly to Azure
On-demand content 2:
Low-code chatbot developement using Power VA:
Low-code chatbot developement using Power VA:
On-demand content 3:
Conversational AI and human agents working together
Conversational AI and human agents working together
You can join the breakout sessions here:
mybuild.microsoft.com/sessions?q=INT…
mybuild.microsoft.com/sessions?q=INT…
Find out more on @GaryPretty's blog here:
techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-ai/bu…
mybuild.microsoft.com/sessions?q=INT…
mybuild.microsoft.com/sessions?q=INT…
Find out more on @GaryPretty's blog here:
techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-ai/bu…
.@ScottGu will be doing a live Q&A
during #MSBuild
Questions can be submitted here:
msft.it/6010TiH6y
during #MSBuild
Questions can be submitted here:
msft.it/6010TiH6y
Chatbots and @MicrosoftTeams capabilities:
During @shanselman's keynote, we saw chatbot that could receive a message in the form of C# syntax, parse and execute the response back to the human.
During @shanselman's keynote, we saw chatbot that could receive a message in the form of C# syntax, parse and execute the response back to the human.
I've written a bunch of blog posts that will help you get upto speed with @msbotframework Composer.
I will share these here to help people get a quick-start on some of the key topics.
#MSBuild
I will share these here to help people get a quick-start on some of the key topics.
#MSBuild
Integrating Bot Framework Composer and Adaptive Dialog to create dynamic, user-configurable chatbots:
jamiemaguire.net/index.php/2020…
jamiemaguire.net/index.php/2020…
How to mix and match Regular Dialogs with Composer Generated Dialogs: A hybrid approach to chatbot development:
jamiemaguire.net/index.php/2020…
jamiemaguire.net/index.php/2020…
Bridge the data gap between Composer, Adaptive and Waterfall Dialogs by sharing State:
jamiemaguire.net/index.php/2020…
jamiemaguire.net/index.php/2020…
Using Bot Framework Composer & the Twitter API to create a chatbot that can search for Tweets:
jamiemaguire.net/index.php/2020…
jamiemaguire.net/index.php/2020…
More on Composer:
I've been using it for a while.
A good pattern is to encapulate business rules in an API of your choice then consume this in Composer.
Use data from the API to to steer conversational logic of your chatbot, invoke dialogs or serve different user experiences.
I've been using it for a while.
A good pattern is to encapulate business rules in an API of your choice then consume this in Composer.
Use data from the API to to steer conversational logic of your chatbot, invoke dialogs or serve different user experiences.
This paves the way for citizen developers and business users to get involved in chatbot development.
Let your backend team build the endpoints and the business can design conversational experiences using data provided by the back-end APIs
Let your backend team build the endpoints and the business can design conversational experiences using data provided by the back-end APIs
You can also blend bot assets generated in Composer with traditional Waterfall dialogs in C#.
This gives you real power and control over the build and maintenence of your chatbots. I have a some projects on @github and several blog posts that show you how to do this.
This gives you real power and control over the build and maintenence of your chatbots. I have a some projects on @github and several blog posts that show you how to do this.
Using Adaptive Expressions in Composer, you can manipulate data using intuitive operators.
New Cognitive Services capabilities: Text Analytics V3
- sentiment analysis
- key phrase extraction
- language detection
- named entity recognition
- sentiment analysis
- key phrase extraction
- language detection
- named entity recognition
New Cognitive Services capabilities: Named Entity Recognition (NER) v3
- 5 new categories
- 10 subcategories including Product, Event, Skill,Address
- 5 new categories
- 10 subcategories including Product, Event, Skill,Address
New Cognitive Services capabilities: Containers
Deploy Cognitive Services anywhere from the cloud to the edge with containers. Language Understanding and Text Analytics sentiment analysis in containers are now generally available.
Deploy Cognitive Services anywhere from the cloud to the edge with containers. Language Understanding and Text Analytics sentiment analysis in containers are now generally available.
#MLdotNET Model Builder (a cross-platform, machine learning framework for .NET devs) is now a part of #VisualStudio.
Learn more about creating custom machine learning models without having prior experience & without leaving the #dotNET ecosystem: msft.it/6010TiPnn
Learn more about creating custom machine learning models without having prior experience & without leaving the #dotNET ecosystem: msft.it/6010TiPnn
Conversational AI powered Customer & Employee Virtual Assistants (@darrenjefford)
- Composer
- Orchestrator
- SSO
- QnA
Bots book:
aka.ms/GetOreillyVABo…
Blog: aka.ms/Build20-Conver…
Get started with Composer: aka.ms/composer
VA and Skills aka.ms/bfskillsbuildp…
- Composer
- Orchestrator
- SSO
- QnA
Bots book:
aka.ms/GetOreillyVABo…
Blog: aka.ms/Build20-Conver…
Get started with Composer: aka.ms/composer
VA and Skills aka.ms/bfskillsbuildp…
Conversational AI powered Customer & Employee Virtual Assistants (@darrenjefford)
QnA Maker:
Nice enhancements to the QnA maker editing experience. A new Rich Text Editor is now shipped.
QnA Maker:
Nice enhancements to the QnA maker editing experience. A new Rich Text Editor is now shipped.
Bot Framework Composer:
Actions are the main component of a Trigger.
They help to maintain the conversation flow & instruct bots to fulfill user's requests.
Composer provides different types of actions like Send Activities or messages.
Actions are the main component of a Trigger.
They help to maintain the conversation flow & instruct bots to fulfill user's requests.
Composer provides different types of actions like Send Activities or messages.
Bot Framework Composer:
You can now create your own CUSTOM ACTIONS.
This makes is possibly for you to drop in your own code widgets in the Composer designer canvas.
You can learn more about this here:
docs.microsoft.com/en-us/composer…
You can now create your own CUSTOM ACTIONS.
This makes is possibly for you to drop in your own code widgets in the Composer designer canvas.
You can learn more about this here:
docs.microsoft.com/en-us/composer…
Blog by @stephanbisser with his perspective on Conversational AI updates from #MSBuild :
bisser.io/conversational…
bisser.io/conversational…
Virtual Assistant 1.0
Customers and partners have an increasing need to deliver advanced conversational assistant experiences tailored to their brand, personalized to their users, and made available across a broad range of canvases and devices.
Customers and partners have an increasing need to deliver advanced conversational assistant experiences tailored to their brand, personalized to their users, and made available across a broad range of canvases and devices.
Virtual Assistant 1.0
The Virtual Assistant Solution Accelerator answers this need and, with v1.0 released at Build 2020, is now generally available!
The Virtual Assistant Solution Accelerator answers this need and, with v1.0 released at Build 2020, is now generally available!
Virtual Assistant 1.0
The solution accelerator is open source in GitHub and provides you with a set of core foundational capabilities & full customization over the end user experience - including the name, voice, & personality of your VA – whilst not sacrificing privacy & data.
The solution accelerator is open source in GitHub and provides you with a set of core foundational capabilities & full customization over the end user experience - including the name, voice, & personality of your VA – whilst not sacrificing privacy & data.
Virtual Assistant Core - Common dialog implementations:
For common assistant requirements, such as introduction, or on-boarding & handling situations where there is a need to hand off the conversation to a human.
For common assistant requirements, such as introduction, or on-boarding & handling situations where there is a need to hand off the conversation to a human.
Virtual Assistant Core - FAQ & Personality
FAQ and Personality - allowing the bot to answer user questions, from FAQs made available from a QnA Maker knowledgebase, including taking advantage of the new multiturn feature, in addition to making use of the Chit Chat personalities
FAQ and Personality - allowing the bot to answer user questions, from FAQs made available from a QnA Maker knowledgebase, including taking advantage of the new multiturn feature, in addition to making use of the Chit Chat personalities
Virtual Assistant Core - interruption and context switching
Interacting via natural language can be complex, but the VA handles common scenarios with ease, such as the ability for a user to switch context or interrupt their conversation, such as to a different skill
Interacting via natural language can be complex, but the VA handles common scenarios with ease, such as the ability for a user to switch context or interrupt their conversation, such as to a different skill
Virtual Assistant Core - Speech
Speech-first experiences can be enabled without any custom-code, responding to the evolving change in user behavior towards multi-modal experiences on a broad range of platforms and devices.
Speech-first experiences can be enabled without any custom-code, responding to the evolving change in user behavior towards multi-modal experiences on a broad range of platforms and devices.
Virtual Assistant Core - Telemetry, Logging and Analytics
A telemetry pipeline for Virtual Assistant, leveraging both PowerBI and Azure Application Insights. This enables you to quickly and easily understand how your assistant is being used by users and gain actionable insights
A telemetry pipeline for Virtual Assistant, leveraging both PowerBI and Azure Application Insights. This enables you to quickly and easily understand how your assistant is being used by users and gain actionable insights
Skills:
Several Skills, covering common assistant scenarios, are available to plug-in to your assistant immediately – rapidly increasing the capability of your solution without the need to expend custom development effort.
Several Skills, covering common assistant scenarios, are available to plug-in to your assistant immediately – rapidly increasing the capability of your solution without the need to expend custom development effort.
Skills:
However, as with the core, Skills are fully customisable and make use of the same assets (dialogs, LU and LG files), allowing you to easily tailor them to suit your specific requirements.
However, as with the core, Skills are fully customisable and make use of the same assets (dialogs, LU and LG files), allowing you to easily tailor them to suit your specific requirements.
Skills:
Several Skills, covering common assistant scenarios, are available to plug-in to your assistant immediately:
- Calendar
- Email
- Point of Interest
- Hospitality
- IT Management
- Music
More information can be found here: techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-ai/bu…
Several Skills, covering common assistant scenarios, are available to plug-in to your assistant immediately:
- Calendar
- Point of Interest
- Hospitality
- IT Management
- Music
More information can be found here: techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-ai/bu…
@threadreaderapp unroll
That's a WRAP for #MSBuild & this mega-thread.
Thankyou to everyone for making this virtual event happen.
The content, engagment & community spirit has been great.
Thankyou to everyone for making this virtual event happen.
The content, engagment & community spirit has been great.
