How the Ozlo chatbot learned some Pokémon Go tricks

The Ozlo chatbot is an invaluable tool for finding restaurants in your area. I’ve tested it for a couple of weeks, and it has already helped me discover a few hidden gems. The company has promised to keep adding features to the bot, and it recently rolled out a feature that helps you play Pokémon Go. As with any bot, this one has the advantage of running as an ancillary tool — it finds PokéStops and Pokémon Gyms in your area — and you don’t even need to have the game installed on your phone.

Now, Anant Narayanan has posted a lengthy examination of what the Ozlo bot can do and how it works. The bot doesn’t just spit out maps. It had to be trained to interpret what people say and how to respond in a way that makes sense, especially in the context of what players really want.

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You can check out the full post on Medium or on Narayanan’s personal blog.