More big news coming from the never ending Facebook.
Facebook Inc said it has started to develop "chatbots" for its Messenger App, hoping that by simulating one-on-one conversations between users and companies it will expand its reach in customer service and enterprise transactions.
Chatbots are automated programs that help users communicate with businesses and carry out tasks such as online purchases. While chatbots have existed in some form for years, they have recently become a hot topic in the tech business as advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning make them far more capable and potentially able to assume a key role in the way customers communicate with businesses.
Facebook launched chatbots on Tuesday with a handful of partners, such as Shopify and cable TV news network CNN.
The chatbots are part of Facebook's effort to build out its Messenger instant messaging app as the go-to place for customers to contact businesses - a strategy that threatens traditional call centers and may cut personnel costs for some businesses.
"You'll never have to call 1-800-Flowers again," Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said during the company's annual developer conference in San Francisco.
Though messaging platforms including Kik, Slack and Telegram already have chatbots, Facebook is seen having several distinct advantages.
For one, Facebook commands a vast trove of data on the estimated 1.6 billion people who use the main service and the 900 million who use Messenger. That allows developers to create chatbots that can personalize tasks, such as making an airline booking or a restaurant reservation.
CNN's bot, for example, can learn users' news preferences and recommend articles and summaries accordingly. For a shopping site, users could input price ranges and other preferences before receiving suggestions from the bot.
Facebook has been steadily adding features to Messenger since it was spun off as a separate app in 2014.
Last year, it partnered with Uber [UBER.UL] and Lyft so that users can order a car without having to go through the ride-sharing apps. It also recently partnered with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines so that customers can receive flight updates and booking confirmations through Messenger.
Chatbots could eventually automate such interactions and eliminate customer service calls.
