Why a bot colony is inevitable

GUEST: Bots are making their presence felt, but a new approach is needed to unlock their full potential.
The year 2016 will be remembered in technology circles as the year that the bot craze reached maximum volume. Not surprisingly, Facebook had a big hand in building the momentum. Since the tech behemoth announced a bot developer framework and distribution platform in April, the market has been flooded with upstart companies (and stalwarts such as Microsoft and Oracle) looking to ride the wave.