Fresh on the heels of Microsoft’s embarrassing experiment with the chatbot Tay, Facebook has announced it will allow developers to create chatbots on its Messenger app.
This, Facebook says, will make it easier for customers to communicate with businesses.
Chatbots are a type of artificial intelligence designed to simulate a conversation between humans.
According to USA Today, chatbots have yet to gain popularity in the U.S. and Europe, but are becoming very popular in Asia.
"You'll never have to call 1-800-Flowers again," Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said while discussing how the chatbots operate at the company’s developers’ conference, known as f8, in San Francisco. "We think you should message a business just the way you would message a friend."
Zuckerberg also said the company was going to open up its newly launched live video app called Facebook Live. Facebook Live allows users to “broadcast” live video feeds.
The company is reported to have paid celebrities to supply videos to spark an interest in the new product.