Payments are all that's needed for chatbots to deliver on their promise, says Kik CEO

After the initial hype, chatbots have been written off by many in the tech industry for failing to deliver on their promise. But one of the leading figures behind chatbots believes one missing component can spark the revolution: payments. Initially viewed by many as replacements for apps, and a method to increase customer engagement, there are few early examples of tangible success to date, as a recent report from Marketing Land explained in depth. "If I were looking at [chatbots] from the outside, I'd be saying the same thing," Kik CEO Ted Livingston told TechCrunch in an interview. "Right now, it is in a holding pattern until we get payments [but] we've seen so many killer examples of unlocking the world around you that we know there is magic there."