Twilio Programmable Chat provides a set of APIs and SDKs to build cross-platform messaging apps, allowing for features like chat history, typing indicators, read receipts, and integration with third-party software. To get started, users need to authenticate a user in Rails, set up Twilio account credentials, create a token for the client, add chat controls to the Rails view, and wire up Programmable Chat with the JavaScript SDK. The tutorial provides step-by-step instructions on how to achieve this, including creating a secure token, adding chat functionality to the Rails view, and setting up the JavaScript SDK to join or create a chat channel, send and receive messages, and handle user input. With this setup, users can build real-time messaging apps with features like chat history, typing indicators, and read receipts, and integrate them with third-party solutions using REST APIs.