Bots and AI

The legality of using bots in programming is a grey area presently. While it is open to some legal interpretation, it is generally accepted that bots used to save time on a task that is 100% in control of a human is perfectly reasonable. Used as an advanced macro, a bot can make a complex task more efficient, saving time. The most basic example is a simple mouse and keyboard recorder application. Essentially, the user would load the application, and then allow it to record whatever actions are needed to achieve the desired result. Ideally, the goal is to begin at the home screen, record the action, and return to the same screen in order to make the sequence loopable.

The ideal bot recorder includes an editor to facilitate custom scripts (Zhang, 2016). One such application is Auto Hotkey, and is unique among other script programs as it requires some coding knowledge. The tradeoff is that besides being a simple recorder, it is customizable. Users have shared scripts to perform such tasks as instantly turning off a PC monitor, changing the function of the accent key above the TAB to a backspace, or even automatically clean up an email account on a daily basis (Glenn, 2013). Bots and other recorders are highly useful in making mundane tasks more efficient. There are certain pitfalls to avoid when using macro recorders, however.

A dedicated PC is highly recommended for customized scripts. If any settings are different, such as window size or resolution, the results will likely be undesirable (McCreath, 2016). Open source tools such as Slash allow users to write custom bots capable of performing an almost limitless number of mundane tasks, such as following a GPS tracking web site and instructing the bot to report back coordinates to the user at regular intervals (Haughley, 2015). Bots of this variety are examples of basic artificial intelligence programs designed to mimic human responses, and are widely used by troubleshooting sites and other businesses.

Bots that are legal are also built into established services, as an optional feature. Customizable news and notifications are available that can report content as soon as it becomes available via products like Forbes Bot, and Tech Crunch Bot (Bridgewater, 2016, November 22). Chat bots assist travel companies to help consumers narrow down their travel needs in an automated process, eliminating the need to pore through thousands of options. Similarly, news agencies use bots to help users consolidate their consumption, citing how readers don’t like to load multiple apps. Readers on average have only one or two news apps installed on their devices (Upbin, 2016).

References

Bridgewater, A. (2016, November 22). Come fly with AI, IBM cloud builds ‘chatbot’ virtual travel agent. Forbes. Retrieved January 4, 2017 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianbridgwater/2016/11/22/come-fly-with-ai-ibm-cloud-builds-chatbot-virtual-travel-agent/#5ceb7d671f39+

Glenn, W. (2013). Show us your best Autohotkey script. Retrieved January 4, 2017 from http://lifehacker.com/show-us-your-best-autohotkey-script-507227185

Haughley, M. (2015). A beginner’s guide to your first bot. Retrieved January 4, 2017 from https://slackhq.com/a-beginner-s-guide-to-your-first-bot-97e5b0b7843d#.nvclmr6pb

McCreath, D. (2016). Your first custom slash command for Slack. Retrieved January 4, 2017 from https://github.com/mccreath/isitup-for-slack/blob/master/docs/TUTORIAL.md

Upbin, B. (2016). Introducing the Forbes newsbot on Telegram. Retrieved January 4, 2017 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceupbin/2016/02/23/introducing-the-forbes-newsbot-on-telegram/#64b8ee03117c

Zhang, G. (2016). 8 free macro recorder that automate your traditional mouse and keyboard. Prohavit. Retrieved January 4, 2017 from https://www.prohavit.com/blog/8-free-macro-recorder-automate-traditional-mouse-keyboard/