The adoption of bots has surged in recent years, finding favor among businesses and individuals for diverse applications. Data indicated that in 2022, 80% of internet users had engaged with chatbots.
Projections anticipate the chatbot market to expand by more than $994 million in 2023, with expectations of the industry’s value reaching $142 billion by 2024.
In the blockchain space, the story is similar. While one of the most common uses of bots in crypto is for completing trades on behalf of traders, businesses opt for it for communications. This is why Nick Molnar, a developer from XMTP, gave a presentation at EthGlobal on how to create a bot army with XMTP.
He explained that XMTP offers solutions for reaching users effectively, enabling creators to interact with their audience, and fostering communication among decentralized marketplaces.
What is XMTP?
XMTP (Extensible Message Transport Protocol) is an open protocol, network, and standard for secure, private web3 messaging. It is designed to enable messaging between blockchain accounts in apps and for creating bots.
Developers build with XMTP SDKs to provide messaging between blockchain accounts in their apps. The XMTP messaging API client takes care of authentication using an XMTP identity that the user owns and controls, end-to-end encryption of messages that the user owns and controls, and providing an interoperable inbox accessible across apps built with XMTP.
XMTP in Web2 and Web3
Nick said that while XMTP is designed for the Web3 space, it also addresses issues in Web2 messaging by promoting composability and interoperability between different apps.
Users can share a single inbox across multiple apps, allowing for a seamless experience. This feature encourages developers to build applications on top of XMTP.
He went on to talk about various applications built on XMTP, including those from Coinbase Wallet, Lener, Orb, and Converse. These apps use XMTP as their default messaging layer, providing a powerful and unified experience for users.
Using Botkit Pro to build bots on XMTP
Nick dove into building bots on XMPP, with a focus on Botkit Pro. Botkit Pro is a commercial version of the open-source Botkit framework, a developer tool for building chatbots, apps, and custom integrations for major messaging platforms. It is designed to provide additional features and support for enterprise-level chatbot development.
Nick showcased the development of a bot during the demonstration. Initially, this bot’s function was basic—it could respond with a greeting message. However, he didn’t stop there. He went on to illustrate the transformation of this simple bot into a more advanced one.
This advanced bot was capable of conducting GIF searches, signifying a progression from a straightforward greeting bot to one with more complex capabilities.
This demonstration showed the potential for enhancing and expanding the functionality of bots as they are developed and customized for various purposes.
He also explained, using a demo, how XMTP handles media content and attachments, emphasizing the use of IPFS to store and retrieve files, ensuring privacy and efficiency.
Nick encouraged the audience to explore Botkit Pro and experiment with building bots on the XMTP network.
