Companies are eager to stake out a market position, hoping that being early will help them make huge amounts of money if AI continues to become a bigger part of how people use the internet and technology. Many of the products companies are releasing are not ready for prime time -- for instance, all chatbots still make up false information sometimes, a problem no one has solved yet.

Microsoft is giving Kik users early access to its newest AI chatbot called Zo.ai. Microsoft appears to be keeping a close eye on Zo.ai. Zo is a successor to Microsoft's ill-fated Tay.ai chatbot, which the company revoked in March after users got it to spew racist, hate-filled comments. Kik users who've downloaded the Zo preview note that Microsoft's latest chatbot is locked down tightly, presumably to prevent another Tay-like rampage. For example, Zo isn't willing to discuss politics.