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Comment by surfaceTensi0n | Hacker News Reader

I think you may be overthinking 3 a bit. You only need to use the new bot enough to get enough info for the normal ranking method to work. Some simple solutions:

1. When a new bot is added, always use that bot first. This assumes that the user added it intentionally despite already having bots for that function.

2. If bots are ranked too closely, pick one at random.

3. If bots are ranked too closely, ask the user which to use. Have an option for setting that as default. If you have an Android phone this should feel familiar. This is how Android handles different apps that handle the same function (i.e. what app should open when you click the mailto link).

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1. The idea of a meta-bot that the OP puts forward doesn't require user to add any bot. If user had to add every bot manually then it takes away a key advantage of a meta-bot. One bot to rule them all.

From what I (mis)understood, a meta-bot would internally have "friended" other bots and user only adds the meta-bot and interacts with the meta-bot which then sends the queries to its friended bots. Though now that I think about it I probably did misunderstand it. :)

Your description is what I had in mind. The user won't be the one to add the bots, the meta-bot has a strong knowledge of the 'chatbot community' and knows who is good at solving problems in different categories.

The proposition of allowing the user 'add' bots is also quite interesting but I've not given much thoughts to that.

If user is allowed to add bots then you take away one thing from the meta-bot. The task of Discovering relevant bots. At the same time you limit the meta-bot from helping you out with a task if a bot for that task has not been installed by the user.

The meta-bot could technically suggest what bots to install if it does not find an installed bot to perform a task. In the current world of bots I think this would be a more optimal approach rather than a true meta-bot to bot transparent communication.

Also take into consideration that a meta-bot should provide proper attribution to whichever bot it chooses to perform the task otherwise you open yourself up to copyright infringement or equivalent.

If you want to take this offline I've updated my email address in my profile. Don't know if you can see it.

Yeah, we should indeed take this offline. I can't see your email, you can reach me on lumzor [at] gmail [dot] com.

That's interesting. I guess I just assumed the user would have to add the bots. Otherwise how would they know what the meta-bot is capable of doing? Also, discovery of bots, especially ones that aren't "mainstream" (I'm thinking less utilitarian and more art/fun, here) or part of specific bot networks/marketplaces, would be harder. Allowing users to at least also add their own seems like it would be a useful feature.

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