Virtual Assistants and Art of Influence

There are many well-known techniques for influencing people in sale, marketing, and even in social settings. For example, methods like framing, mirroring, and scarcity have been studied and taught extensively. However, there is a lack of understanding in influencing techniques for virtual assistants. As part of a research project in AREA 51 (the innovation lab of AOL), we are studying impact of the chatbot language on the user experience. We are running many experiments and collecting relevant data on user interactions. We observed that the choice of language has a strong impact on the user churn, and satisfaction. However, if these techniques are not being used correctly, they can easily alginate users.