Facebook launches bot for Messenger

In a widely expected move, Facebook has announced tools for developers to build bots inside Facebook Messenger, bringing a range of new functions to the popular communication app, The Verge reports.

Facebook believes Messenger can become a primary channel for businesses to interact with their customers, replacing 1-800 numbers with a mix of artificial intelligence and human intervention. If they are embraced by the general public — which is still far from certain — bots could represent a major new channel for commerce, customer support, and possibly even media.


The tools announced include an API that allows developers to build chat bots for Messenger and chat widgets for the web. Much of the focus during demonstrations at the company's F8 developer conference was on commerce. But the bot platform is also open to media, allowing publishers to message subscribers directly with news and other information. In a demonstration at today's F8 developer conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg showed bots from CNN and 1-800-FLOWERS. The CNN bot sent news stories that became personalized over time; the flowers demo showed an interaction where a person ordered flowers using conversational language. "You never have to call 1-800-FLOWERS again," Zuckerberg said.