Recently I have been exploring the features of virtual assistants and now I’m planning a visit to Berlin with my family during our summer vacation. Nowadays, planning is a bit different than before, since we also need to plan things that might be interesting for our 3-year old kid. That’s not a problem for sure, there’s a bunch of interesting places in Berlin, but it would be really useful to have a solution that could give us on the move information about nearby facilities, parks, events – just to ease those unpredictable moments. When you look at it, city like Berlin is a closed ecosystem, there are the citizens, then the tourist and they all require similar set of information, FAQ – so why not to create a chatbot for that purpose. So, what do you do after having an idea, Google it! City of Vienna has their own WienBot just for that purpose – „Whether you need to find out about local administration, registration, parking, swimming pools, ticket prices, opening times or events: WienBot gives quick and easy access to all the information you need. It will show you the nearest drinking fountain or refuse collection point on the map, tell you when your next underground train is due to leave and the fastest route to the Wiener Prater. It’s incredibly handy, especially when you’re out and about, as the app is easy to use by speech command or text message. WienBot even understands a joke: send a certain emoji and we’ll provide information on poop bags for dogs.“Carmen Fritz, Content Strategist, City of Vienna. This is what I’ve been looking, simple, brief, direct, quick and on-the-go access to city’s information, the only thing is that it’s for a wrong town.
