Microsoft is testing an AI chatbot for Xbox called the Xbox Support Virtual Agent that aims to automate customer support tasks, including answering questions and processing game refunds through Microsoft’s support site.
Prototype expands testing to more users
The company has been rapidly expanding prototype tests in recent days as part of an effort to enable the chatbot to handle support enquiries from all Xbox customers in the future. The testing and details were reported by The Verge and have been confirmed by Microsoft.
How the Xbox Support Virtual Agent works
The chatbot is similar to the Azure AI Bot Service, which Microsoft offers to build bots that automate tasks. According to Haiyan Zhang, general manager of Gaming AI at Xbox, the prototype makes it faster and easier for players to get help on support topics using natural language by retrieving information from existing Xbox support pages.
Animated character, voice and text interactions
Zhang described the bot as “an animated character that can consult Xbox Support topics with voice or text” to respond quickly to requests. The range of assistance the prototype can provide includes troubleshooting hardware issues and helping with paid subscription problems.
