It’s official – “Chatbots” have arrived to Facebook Messenger, and are already in use for certain brands. The news was announced on Tuesday during the F8 Conference, but what does it mean?
A chatbot is an application that has the ability to mimic human behavior. In the context of Facebook Messenger, it’s like a “robot user” that automatically responds to any question you may ask it. From now on, Messenger will allow companies and organizations to implement their own chatbots, in order to reach out to customers when they’re in need of help.
This means that soon, you’ll be using this platform to order the right flowers you need from a florist, or even confirm your order with Burger King – the possibilities really are endless. Other uses may also include being able to get regular weather or news updates when you need them, from your preferred source. Imagine Siri or Cortana with a bit more selection!
As you can see from the picture above, the new chatbots give fairly generic answers, which are not yet customized to our preferences – but don’t forget – this is only the beginning of something that could be big, big, BIG!
One more step for the presence of brands on Facebook
Do you think chatbots are another form of advertising for companies? Well, you should know that Messenger is also looking into ways to incorporate ads within the application. This means that the brands you follow on the social network will be able to send you direct information that they deem relevant to you. Seems intrusive huh? Well not to worry, because just like Instagram, you will also be able to block the content you don’t want to receive.
Source: Mashable
