Bots, the next frontier | The Economist

As with apps, bots will need much experimentation to find their place. That will, in turn, depend on how well providers manage their platforms. Telegram lets developers do pretty much what they want (although it has shut down chat channels related to Islamic State). Microsoft has promised to be as open as possible. Developers and investors have their doubts about Facebook, given its chequered history: it made life difficult for developers of applications for its website.