Dive Brief:

• A new HP Slack bot is allowing Slack users to easily print documents they view while using the chat platform, VentureBeat reports. 
• The bot requires the use of cloud-based HP ePrint. HP innovation manager David Parry said the company also plans to make bots for several other chat platforms.
• "We want to think beyond the ways of just File –> Print. We think that’s outmoded," Parry told VentureBeat.

Dive Insight:

Thank goodness for bots. Despite all its popularity, printing a document from within Slack is not easily accomplished. But instead of accomplishing the task some old, obvious way, HP decided to send in the bots instead.

Chat platforms are growing in popularity, and as they do so, companies like HP want to ensure they remain relevant. Creating bots could help them do so.

Even the White House is getting in on the bot action. The White House recently implemented the first-ever government bot on Facebook messenger.