During today's Microsoft Build conference for developers, Microsoft announced plans to bring interactive bots to the Skype platform on Windows, Android, and iOS. Starting today, Skype iOS users will have access to Bots that offer expertise, products, services, and entertainment through messaging options in the Skype app.

microsoftbot

Today we are introducing Skype Bots--a new way to bring expertise, products, services and entertainment into your daily messaging on Skype.

Each Bot will enhance your Skype experience in its own way, bringing a new dimension into your everyday Skype chats by helping turn your ideas and plans into actions.

Available bots that can be interacted with on iOS include Bing Music, Bing News, and Bing Images. Bing Music is able to search multiple sites to find song information, while Bing Image bot and Bing News bot are designed for web navigation. With the Skype Bot SDK, brands and developers will be able to create bots that work through Skype.

In the future, Skype plans to expand Bot availability to audio and video calling, introducing new bot-based experiences. An example of Skype Video Bots was shown off during the Build Conference.


To access the messaging bots in Skype, iOS users will need to download the latest version of the app. Accessing bots can be done through the "Search" option from the Contacts page, which includes an option to add bots to Skype.

Skype can be downloaded from the App Store for free for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link: iPad, iPhone]

Tag: Skype

Top Rated Comments

Sasparilla Avatar
129 months ago
It's always good to keep in mind who else might be recording your communications when using Skype as some of those Bots may not be user facing:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
modemthug Avatar
129 months ago
Didn't Microsoft just have to pull the plug on a teenaged girl AI bot that turned into a Hitler-loving sex robot within 24 hours of launch?

True story:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/03/24/microsofts-teen-girl-ai-turns-into-a-hitler-loving-sex-robot-wit/
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
leon44 Avatar
129 months ago
SmarterChild 2016
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Glassed Silver Avatar
129 months ago
Didn't Microsoft just have to pull the plug on a teenaged girl AI bot that turned into a Hitler-loving sex robot within 24 hours of launch?

True story:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/03/24/microsofts-teen-girl-ai-turns-into-a-hitler-loving-sex-robot-wit/
You just made my day! :D

Glassed Silver:mac
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
129 months ago
Didn't Microsoft just have to pull the plug on a teenaged girl AI bot that turned into a Hitler-loving sex robot within 24 hours of launch?

True story:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/03/24/microsofts-teen-girl-ai-turns-into-a-hitler-loving-sex-robot-wit/
Came here to comment this, haha. I could see this bot in particular appealing to a lot of Trump supporters.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Makosuke Avatar
129 months ago
Didn't Microsoft just have to pull the plug on a teenaged girl AI bot that turned into a Hitler-loving sex robot within 24 hours of launch?
Beat me to that.

Let's just say that Microsoft's record for producing socially-responsible chat bots has not been so good recently.

Where by "not good" I mean "Their chat bot took all of 16 hours online to start advocating genocide, pushing race war, spewing flagrant racism, and propositioning people with filthy language."

And they didn't pull the plug--she's just "tired" so taking a break. From being a violent racist, apparently.

But hey, I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong with other Microsoft AIs!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...