What Google, Microsoft, and Amazon did this week in the race to be everyone's favorite virtual assistant

Take a step back for a look at the big picture and it's clear that 2016 was a remarkable year for bots and virtual assistants. Within the span of a few months this spring, Google, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft all made plans to grow bot ecosystems and invited developers to build bots or virtual assistants integrations for their platforms. If that sounds dry or technical, think of it this way: All of these companies want a relationship with you. They want to be in your home, your smartphone, your car, and your office. They want to be your everything.