Gupshup platform for Google Assistant: ‘Any bot can now be published to Google Home’

Do the bots for Google need to be developed from scratch? Can the earlier bots which Gupshup had be used here as well?

No, they don’t need to be developed from scratch. Any bot built earlier on the Gupshup platform needs to be just “published” to Google Home. That’s the power of the cross-platform nature of Gupshup: write-once, run-anywhere i.e. write it once and run it on 18+ channels.

What are some of the applications, enterprises have expressed interest in?

Google Home is a consumer device sitting in user’s homes (only in the US for now, but soon global). The earliest interest is from companies in news, entertainment, gaming, music, movies etc. In fact, one of the first voice-bot on the Gupshup platform is for Venturebeat – it reads the latest news headlines and stories.

Will these be paid services?

Gupshup is a freemium platform with self-serve and full-serve options. So, depending on what customers do, and the usage of the bot, pricing starts at zero and goes higher. However, in the early stages, most customer pricing is very nominal. In this new space, the cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of doing something.

What are the applications in IoT?

In some cases, voice-activated bots will be available in refrigerators, ovens, lights and fans. Or they’ll connect to smart-devices like Google Home. The way to switch on the light or AC will be through bots. Bot-based conversational interfaces will transform the usability of IoT devices.

Where is the development being done?

Gupshup, headquartered in Silicon Valley with its development team in Mumbai, is supporting global clients across dozens of countries.