Facebook Messenger now has chat bot platform

You may soon find yourself making reservations, checking for the news, or order something online via Facebook Messenger the same way you talk to your friends using the app.

 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivering the keynote at today’s F8 Facebook Developer’s Conference.

 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced earlier today at the F8 developer conference that they would be launching a platform that will allow developers and businesses to build bots inside Messenger.

These chat bots will allow a user to interact with businesses, brands, or services within the app itself. Think along the lines of getting CNN’s top headlines or buying something online through Messenger.

According to The Verge, “the tools announced today include an API that allows developers to build chat bots for Messenger and chat widgets for the web.” While largely directed at e-commerce, media companies can also take advantage of the platform by giving their subscribers instant access to news and other information.

Chat bots aren’t exactly new, but with 900 million people on Messenger, it may soon become the platform everyone wants to use. If it takes off, the platform will make phone-based customer support or 1-800 numbers obsolete.

If you want to experience how it works, visit messengerplatform.fb.com and click on “Featured Bots”.

 

Source: Rappler, The Verge, Tech Crunch