How do I switch from Dialogflow to Actions Builder to create conversational actions? Changing the way of thinking!

If the goal is to create a Google Action, any conversational flow can be developed both with Dialogflow and with Actions Builder. What changes, graphical interface aside, is the way of thinking. Let's see some aspects.

Alessio Pomaro
2 min readJul 19, 2020

First of all the intent was (rightly) detached from the actions: they only have to recognize what the user says.
When is the action to be determined based on the intent established? Within the scene!
This is an optimization compared to Dialogflow, because the same intent can be used in different "contexts". I also did it on Dialogflow, through the development of fulfillment, to standardize flows with Alexa Skills. With l it is much simpler and more natural.

But how do you manage priorities with intent?

Priority no longer exists, but the intent can go global! This too is an optimization and a simplification. A global intent is recognized independent of the scene, and can be activated through a "deep link".

We can think of scenes as conversational contexts, but which no longer have a lifespan: whoever develops the agent determines which events pass from one scene to another.

Actions Builder is much more flexible from the point of view of the management of the events that can be activated, based on many conditions (related to scene, intent, variables, etc.).

Slot Filling is also no longer set within the intent, but within the scene. The reason is the same as before. Again, the management of Actions Builder is very flexible!
The entities on Actions Builder are called "types", but the management is very similar to that of Dialogflow.

Where is Actions Builder to be improved?

  • In the configuration of the answers: the JSON or YAML editor is too little.. I would insert a configurator for the rich responses, as in Dialogflow (it is very useful for making simple demos, for example).
  • Through the tool, I would like to have a greater perception of the complete conversational flow.

--

--

Alessio Pomaro

Head of AI @ Search On Media Group, Docente, Speaker, Autore