Made possible by the tireless help of over 3,000 volunteers, in addition to staff, this race was an awesome test of endurance and skill, as well as a logistical nightmare.
Thankfully, it had the help of one super employee capable of working 24/7 and requiring little to nothing in pay, or breakfast buffets.
In order to pull the race off, a plethora of tasks needed to be coordinated, in addition to relaying information and supplies, training volunteers, and providing up-to-date information about locations, transportation, and more.
And, since the event was held across the state, not in an arena, the constant need to work with both the public and the crowds of fans was of utmost importance in order to keep the athletes safe.
Trying to manage all of this with paid staff would have been impossible. But, as race coordinators quickly discovered, was completely possible with the help of AI bots.
Not only did chatbots reduce the cost of the event, they helped to organize every aspect of the logistics, from automatically handling calls about the race to providing an easy way to get instant access to critical event details.
Chatbots not only made the race possible, but they enhanced the experience for the public, too, by eliminating busy phone lines and missed events due to crossed signals or misinformation.
Acting as a personal concierge for both the athletes and the spectators, the Pro Cycling chatbots successfully organized and streamlined the 600-mile event for five consecutive years.
Although the USA Pro Challenge hasn’t been raced since 2015, its innovative use of chatbots to organize such a massive event are and will continue to be used. As bots get more and more intelligent, large events will be able to automate access on a variety of channels, including Facebook Messenger, websites, and new technology like Amazon Echo.
If there’s one things bots love to do, it’s organize logistics. And, with all of the time on its hands since the cancellation of the Pro Challenge, this detail-oriented bot is looking for its next event to manage. In fact, an entirely bot-planned event is likely to occur in the very near future. Just be sure to have your bot double-check the time and location for you so you don’t miss it.
