Chat for charity

New York – A new chatbot by jewellery brand Lokai uses visuals to immerse users in Ethiopia’s water crisis.

• The bot, Walk With Yeshi, works on the Facebook Messenger app
• The chatbot represents the experience of the hundreds of millions of women that walk for hours daily to fetch clean water

The immersive experience mirrors the two-and-a-half-hour journey made by Ethiopian women to find clean water every day. The Walk With Yeshi bot engages the user in conversation and sends a range of images, GIFs, videos, audio files and interactive maps to build up a relationship.

Lokai founder Steven Izen explains that as communication technology continues to advance it is important to incorporate these innovations into philanthropic endeavours. ‘As a brand we’re interested in changing the way people think about giving. Using new technology is a powerful way to connect our young community eye-to-eye with those in need of their help,’ he says.

In April this year Facebook updated Messenger to enable brands to create chatbots through its chatbot API, positioning the app at the forefront of responsive technology.