We had a similar but smaller hype in customer support chatbots around y2k, which sort of died out when the tech did not meet the expectations.
This time around, however, it seems to me the tech has matured enough to actually survive the hype.
(I used to work building chat bots for several mid-large business around 2000-2002)
But as some say bots will replace apps. But can we have a time where bot first? I mean is there a potential for bots to work with end users instead of used by companies like Instagram and Snapchat?
I do not understand how/why bots would replace apps. Perhaps I am narrow-minded about this, but personally I prefer to stay in (some) control of my devices and work-flow.
Cloud based bots are a sad situation, where end user is getting further out of control. But it doesn't have to be like this. Check out https://mycroft.ai/