---
title: "Conversational AI updates from MSBuild 2020"
author: Stephan Bisser
canonical: https://bisser.io/conversational-ai-updates-from-msbuild-2020/
date: 2020-05-20
tags: [AI, Bot Framework]
description: "This post covers all the great announcements from this years Microsoft Build conference 2020"
status: legacy
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link to the post.
---


## Microsoft Bot Framework

In this section you'll find the list of all updates related to the Microsoft Bot Framework (check out the official blog post on all the updates from [here](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-ai/build-2020-conversational-ai-updates/ba-p/1397685)):

### Bot Framework Composer

{{< figure src="/images/062-composer-intro.png" >}}

- Bot Framework Composer is GA
  - You can either download the desktop app from [here for Windows](https://aka.ms/bf-composer-download-win), [here for MacOS](https://aka.ms/bf-composer-download-mac) or [here for Linux](https://aka.ms/bf-composer-download-linux)
  - If you want to run Composer locally as a web-based component, you can download and build Composer from Github following [this link](https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-Composer)
- Bot Framework Composer Docs are [here](https://aka.ms/bfcomposer)
- Bot Framework Composer allows to build and export [Bot Framework Skills](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/bot-service/skills-conceptual?view=azure-bot-service-4.0) or  you can also export the Bot Framework Composer assets (lg, lu, settings and dialog files) which you can then plug into other bots:
  
{{< figure src="/images/062-composer_export.png" >}}

### Bot Framework SDK

- Bot Framework SDK v4.9 released - Release notes can be found [here](https://github.com/microsoft/botframework-sdk/issues/5836) with a ton of updates:
  - [Adaptive Dialogs](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/bot-service/bot-builder-adaptive-dialog-introduction?view=azure-bot-service-4.0) are GA
  - [Skills](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/bot-service/skills-conceptual?view=azure-bot-service-4.0) support Adaptive Dialogs and have improved support for SSO and OAuth
  - Improvements around Microsoft Teams specific funtionality including previews for the Java SDK as well as the developer preview of SSO capabilities in Microsoft Teams
  - Bot Telemtry improvments including the ability to map dialogs into Azure Application Insights Page View Events
  - Health Check APIs available to see if a bot is still running
  - CLI tools for Adaptive Dialogs available [here](https://github.com/Microsoft/botframework-cli)
  - [Language Generation](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/composer/concept-language-generation) is now GA in C# and JS SDKs
  - [Adaptive Expressions](https://aka.ms/adaptive-expressions) is now GA in C# and JS SDKs
  - Authentication improvments for bots and skills are now available to be used like support for certificate based authentication
  - [Generated Dialogs](https://github.com/microsoft/BotBuilder-Samples/tree/master/experimental/generation) is in early preview stage
  - [Bot Framework Adaptive Tool](Bot Framework Adaptive Tool) is in preview

### Azure Bot Service

- [Direct Line App Service Extension](https://aka.ms/bf-directline-ase) is now GA
- [Human Handoff capabilities](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/bot-service/bot-service-design-pattern-handoff-human?view=azure-bot-service-4.0) have been improved
- [Alexa channel](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/bot-service/bot-service-channel-connect-alexa?view=azure-bot-service-4.0) has been added natively into the Azure Bot Service (Kudos to [Gary Pretty](https://twitter.com/GaryPretty) for doing that👍)

### Virtual Assistant

- [Virtual Assistant](http://aka.ms/VirtualAssistant) is now GA
- Bot Framework Composer can now be used to build Bot Framework Skills to be used in virtual assistant

{{< figure src="/images/062-va.png" >}}

## Azure Cognitive Services

### Language Understanding

- New update to the [LUIS](https://luis.ai) portal with improvements to the labelling expirience
- [Container support](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cognitive-services/luis/luis-container-howto?tabs=v3) for LUIS apps
- Upgraded machine learned entities which are replacing composite and simple entities
- [DevOps support](https://github.com/Azure-Samples/LUIS-DevOps-Sample) for language models
- Bot Framework Orchestrator enters private preview

{{< figure src="/images/062-luis.png" >}}

Read the full blog of LUIS announcements [here](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-ai/build-2020-language-understanding-s-new-portal-tools-and/ba-p/1401000).

### QnA Maker

- New rich text editor support to streamline KB editing process
- RBAC support for knowledge bases

{{< figure src="/images/062-qnamaker.png" >}}

### Speech Services

- Speech Services has now improved the accuracy of Speech to Text and Text to Speech
- Custom commands and pronunciation assessment features have been added to create advanced speech capabilities

## Conversational AI sessions from Build

- [Conversational AI powered Customer and Employee Virtual Assistants](https://mybuild.microsoft.com/sessions?q=INT139)
- [Accelerate bot development in Power Virtual Agents](https://mybuild.microsoft.com/sessions?q=INT155)

## On demand content

- [Bot Framework Composer: Bot Framework’s new collaborative Conversational AI development environment](https://youtu.be/r9WQPSaLnaU)
- [Use the Efficiency of Low-Code with the Extensibility to Azure to Design World-Class Chatbots](https://youtu.be/oJWJA-U4-m8)
- [Conversational AI and human agents working together](https://youtu.be/Z0IDiekbOp4)
- [Author rich content in QnA Maker knowledge base and enable role based sharing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB9klrdrqOk&feature=youtu.be)