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We will all have personal robot assistants within the next decade

her movie
A scene from "Her," the 2013 film about an AI love affair.
Warner Bros. Pictures

Figuring out where to live is never easy. Do you settle in the house next to the elementary school or the one a few miles away that's cheaper? 

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You decide to confide in your robotic assistant, who asks you a series of questions about what's most important to you: Nearby schools, bars, or parks? A price range? A home for two or seven?

After some back-and-forth, it tells you your affordable dream home is two miles away from a reputable public school. Decision made.

Within the next decade, bots (in our phones and not) will be able to do that and more, says Andrew Moore, the dean of Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science.

"[Bots] won't answer in a single sentence," he tells Tech Insider. "We'll have a dialogue with them, and we'll solve problems together."

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These bots won't merely crawl the internet and give factual information about the news or weather, like Siri and Google Now — they will likely help us make meaningful life decisions and perform daily physical tasks for us.

As artificial intelligence evolves, we will have more meaningful conversations with bots, and they will be able to answer more complicated questions using algorithms, Moore says. On a day-to-day level, Moore imagines bots will integrate with other automated systems so they can carry out errands.

He gives this hypothetical example: To buy a new pair of sneakers, the bot will ask you if you want the same pair as last time. After you say "yes," it will communicate with another system at Nike or Amazon to order the shoes. Another bot will carry the box to a truck to be shipped, and yet another bot will deliver to your door. All of this will happen in under 90 minutes.

robotbase personal robot
Robotbase's personal assistant bot.
Robotbase

A few companies have already previewed prototypes of automated personal assistants. Last year, New York City-based Robotbase unveiled a bot prototype that can turn out lights, manage social calendars, and even read bedtime stories to kids. The personal assistant service GoButler just announced it replaced human employees with algorithm-driven bots.

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Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Apple will likely be the major players designing these more advanced robotic assistants, Moore says. All four are already developing their own variations.

"I can't pick a clear winner right now, but I think all of them are in the game," he says. "It depends on who retains the best talent."

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