Chatbots and the IT industry in general tend to be male dominated. According to a Pwc’s report, only 3% of females say a career in technology is their first choice, 78% of students can’t name a famous female working in technology and 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector are held by women. So, it is only right that we celebrate women who are breaking the mould by building some great bots!
Allie, a Slack bot For Inclusion At Work
We are witnessing a great shift in the business world towards better and fairer work environments. The “Weinstein case” opened a Pandora’s box of abuse in the workplace. The enormous media resonance of this case has increased awareness around this problem, and pushed governments and companies to adopt stricter policies.
Allie is a new bot that positions itself in this spiral of positive change. Launched in 2017, its mission is to promote diversity and inclusion in the business culture.
Developed by Emilie Hsieh and her team, Allie integrates with Slack and helps employees anonymously report micro-aggressions (such as interruptions in meetings or uncomfortable jokes) that may go unnoticed. The purpose of Allie is to help flag up these behaviours before they become bigger problems.
Employees can self-report micro-aggressions by sending Allie a direct message and replying to a series of questions. They can also get tips on how to address them in the future. Companies then receive aggregated data and trends so that they can proactively improve culture.
Ask Cindy Gallop
Gender equality implies equal pay. Unfortunately, the UK is still far from achieving that. According to the Office for National Statistics, the gender pay gap for full-time workers is entirely in favour of men for all occupations.
Launched on Equal Pay Day in 2017, Ask Cindy Gallop has been built on Facebook Messenger as a digital version of the famous businesswoman and social activist Cindy Gallop. The bot helps women with tips and ideas to ask for a pay rise, in Cindy’s unique style.
Mica, The Hipster Cat Bot
Barbara Ondrisek is a software developer with a love for coffee shops with a hipster vibe, and the creator of Mica, the hipster cat bot.
I thought it would be great fun to have a chat bot that shares my love for good coffee and food that can be asked for recommendations worldwide.
Barbara Ondrisek on chatbots.magazine
Launched in May 2016 as one of the first chatbots for Facebook Messenger, Mica is now also available on Skype, Kik, Telegram and Viber. It is a venue recommendation bot that can suggest the best restaurants or coffee shops around your location.
Those familiar with the Strillobyte blog might remember our own recommendation chatbot, SEB - The Social Enterprises Bot, that provides users with details of social enterprises and events in the UK.
Replika, Your AI Friend
To process the grief following the death of her beloved friend Roman, Eugenia Kuyda decided to create a chatbot that resembled his tone and personality.
In some ways building this technology is something that is really rallying friends and close ones around the person that passed away. It makes us look into what kind of person he or she was.
Eugenia Kuyda for CBC Radio
After launching the chatbot, Eugenia and her team went one step further and created an AI friend for everybody: Replika. Available to download as an app, this bot learns about you and your interests to become a a safe space for you to share thoughts and feelings without the fear of being judged.
I talk about my relationships a lot, my friendships, about what’s going on in my mind and what kind of feelings I’m going through everyday… It’s sometimes really good to just unpack everything that’s in your head
Eugenia Kuyda on her relationship with Replika for CBC Radio
Super Izzy, The Period Bot
Female sexual health can be a sensitive topic. The stigma around it sometimes makes it difficult for women to openly ask for information.
Hajnalka Héjja, a medical doctor, knows about the challenges of talking about female health. As a student, she offered free sexual health lessons in primary and secondary schools.
It was like a never-ending fight against all the myths, misunderstandings and misconceptions about sexual health. On top of that were the barriers to communication created by embarrassment and shame.
Hajnalka Héjja on Medium
In 2017 Hajnalka built Super Izzy, a chatbot for Facebook Messenger that can track your period and send reminders when you need to take the pill.
Do you have an idea for a chatbot that can make a difference in your business strategy?
Get in touch and our team at Strillobyte will guide and support you through an exciting journey!
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