Facebook Launches 'Agents On Messenger' Platform With Chatbots (techcrunch.com)

Josh Constine, reporting for TechCrunch: Facebook will now allow businesses to deliver automated customer support, ecommerce guidance, content, and interactive experience through "Bots on Messenger", Facebook's term for chatbots. By providing utility through its huge developer and business ecosystem, Facebook could boost loyalty with Messenger, one-up SMS, and keep up chat competitors like Kik, Line and Telegram that have their own bot platforms. Beyond just text, chatbots will be able to respond with structured messages that include images, links, and call to action buttons. These could let users make a restaurant reservation, review an ecommerce order, and more. Facebook is not the only company -- let alone the first -- which has a bot store. Messaging apps Telegram and Kik offer similar functionalities. Popular communication service Slack has also been ramping up its efforts around bots and figuring out different ways to enhance its customers' experience. Two weeks ago, Microsoft also announced a bot platform.

Comments

Chatbots?

[110010001000]

What is this? 1998? Chatbots. GTFOH.

Re:Chatbots?

[ganjadude]

everyday facebook becomes more an more like AOL circa 95-99

own web browser? check

walled garden? check

now chatbots????

Re:Chatbots?

[Thelasko]

everyday facebook becomes more an more like AOL circa 95-99

I hear their next project involves simulating a busy signal for 80% of the customer base when they try to log in.

Re:Chatbots?

[Penguinisto]

Almost - they still need the cheesy sound effects and the timer/meter.

Oh, and USENET... it definitely needs some sort of connection to USENET, so that the users can flood it with astoundingly stupid posts...

Re:What if a commercial bot has a penis panic?

[quonsar]

What would happen if one of these commercial bots has a spontaneous, uncontrollable penis panic while chatting with a customer?

What if the customer asks a legitimate question, and the bot goes haywire and repeatedly replies with:

MY PENIS IS SHRINKING! MY PENIS IS SHRINKING! MY PENIS IS SHRINKING! MY PENIS IS SHRINKING! MY PENIS IS SHRINKING! MY PENIS IS SHRINKING!

The customer would not be pleased, I can assure you, if one of these business bots goes crazy like that!

My anus is bleeding.
My ANUS is BLEEDING.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, MY ANUS IS BLEEDING!

I live in a giant bucket...

What the...?!

[PCM2]

OK I officially don't get it. OLD MAN CHECKING IN HERE!!

Is anybody actually interested in interacting with machines via chatbots? Seriously.

The Japanese, they are geniuses. In Tokyo, every three square feet that doesn't have anything in it, they put a vending machine. Pepsi, water, coffee hot or cold, sandwiches, anything you want, you can get from a vending machine. Push a few buttons and it's yours. Don't worry about going to a store and talking to someone. And now here, we have the fuckin brilliant idea that we want machines to talk like people so you have to waste your time talking to them instead of just pushing the button.

What. The. FUCK?

It reminds me of the whole virtual reality/cyberspace craze back in the 90s. Everybody was so excited about the idea that you would be flying through space modeled with 3D graphics to get to whatever you needed on the internet ... when we ALREADY HAD everything on the internet right at our fingertips and we didn't have to waste our time "going" anywhere ... when eliminating distance and scarcity was the WHOLE POINT of the internet.

Who are these people and where do they come up with their dumb fuckin ideas?

Re:What the...?!

[Captain Splendid]

I think your observations re: Japan hit the nail on the head. American culture just hasn't progressed long enough for the populace to internalize the lesson that Hell is other people.

Of course, business doesn't want to pony up for expensive and troublesome flesh and blood, so we get the horrible mutation of fake people which nobody really wants.

Re: What the...?!

[Anonymous Coward]

Dedicated chat bots are stupid, but if you can tell a bot to do X, and it does X, it is programming through natural language, that is pretty neat.

I expect to see a bot blocker though, bots exist to take up your time and attention. People feel it is rude to not interact, even if it is a machine.

Re:What the...?!

[Anonymous Coward]

Japan is an interesting case. Customer service is a BIG DEAL to the Japanese, but so is convenience. If you are going to take the effort to enter a store, it will follow some degree of ritual and the staff will be very attentive.
On the other hand, there are products that people want, but either want immediately or are moderately ashamed of buying. For those purchases, vending machines offer the anonymity and speed to meet both motives.

Japan is also working hard in various fields of robotics and "simple machines with cute LED-backed faces on them" to add a sort of loyal robotic servitor class aspect to their daily lives. In contrast, the USA is working hard to add an "inescapable phone maze" aspect to every part of daily life.

"Say 'one' for customer support."
*presses 1*
"I'm sorry, I couldn't understand that, please repeat your answer."
'One'
"I'm sorry, Juan is not in the office at this time, returning to main menu." "Para Ingles, habla 'Westminster'."

Re:What the...?!

[swb]

Is it something you're entitled to, need or that will cost someone else time and/or money? Then CHATBOTS ARE FOR YOU!

You thought interactive voice prompting was slow and frustrating? Wait until you get a load of chatbots. No way to "zero" out to an operator or some other menu. You're stuck with "Saro" our virtual assistant. And since chats have persistence, you can't just call back and start over. Our bots will remember the EXACT place in existential hell you were stuck before so we can quickly and easily return you to this void of non-service.

Is it something you want or are willing to purchase? THEN REAL LIFE HUMANS ARE FOR YOU!

We have a complete lineup of pushy, ignorant sales people fully motivated to ignore your requests, wiling and able to sell you what they think you should have. Don't worry, they won't waste your time checking stock to see if what you want is in -- when they eventually sell you sort of what you want instead of what they want you to buy, it will conveniently be back-ordered, with a fulfillment date from the manufacturer that's completely unreliable and appears to correspond to an ancient, time-traveling culture from a binary star system. But don't worry, when it finally does ship, we will make sure to use the most unreliable shipping service possible, fully capable of delivering it directly to that address you lived at 8 years ago, two states away.

Re: What the...?!

[PCM2]

Dedicated chat bots are stupid, but if you can tell a bot to do X, and it does X, it is programming through natural language, that is pretty neat.

I guess I have yet to see a concrete example of what all these bot freaks are talking about.

When I can say into thin air, "Make me a sandwich" and a machine will produce whichever sandwich I usually eat on Tuesdays, I suppose that would be pretty impressive. Somehow I don't get the impression that's what this hype is about, though.

Re:What the...?!

[Ralph Wiggam]

Is anybody actually interested in interacting with machines via chatbots?

Have you ever waited 10 minutes to chat with an uninterested customer service rep who barely spoke your language? Bots would be an improvement.

Re:What the...?!

[kheldan]

Friend, the real fun will begin, when people start to realize that the majority of their 4 or 5-digits' worth of 'friends' (with a small 'f', if you get my meaning) on Facebook, were just 'bots all along, and that there are (maybe!) 5 or 6 of them that were real people. Think Ashley Madison.

Re:What the...?!

[PCM2]

Maybe. I would be impressed if someone showed me a chatbot that I could pull up and say, "There was an extra $10 charge on my cable bill this month, can you explain?" and the interaction would end with the charge being removed.

I have a hard time believing this "technology" will yield anything better than the infuriatingly scripted interactions we have with call center workers today. The only benefit is for companies who can now cancel their contracts with their offshore call centers.

Re:What the...?!

[Ralph Wiggam]

Did you see Watson demolish Ken Jennings on Jeopardy?

IBM didn't do all of that R&D to impress Alex Trebec. The plan is for Watson to replace customer service reps.

Re:What the...?!

[Kjella]

Is anybody actually interested in interacting with machines via chatbots? Seriously.

No, but a lot of people vastly prefer getting in touch with a real person even though there's a perfectly adequate self-service solution. But that is expensive and require training, we're trying to pass off chatbots as a poor man's substitute. Now I really don't have a problem navigating my online bank, but my mom.... I could totally see this conversation happening:

"Hi, this is Vici (VIrtual Customer Interface). How may I help you?"
"I'd like to pay a bill."
"Sure, do you have the recipients name or account number?"
"243254322432"
"And what amount?"
"$24.46"
"And when should it be paid?"
"Next friday."
"So you would like to transfer $24.46 to account 243254322432 on the 22th of April, is this correct?"
"Yes."
"Your transfer has now been scheduled. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No thank you."
"Okay, I'll be here if you need me. Have a nice day."

It'd drive me crazy going through the conversation... but I think my mom would rather have a "wizard-like" experience than hunting menu buttons and filling out forms.

Re:What the...?!

[lucm]

On the other hand, there are products that people want, but either want immediately or are moderately ashamed of buying. For those purchases, vending machines offer the anonymity and speed to meet both motives.

It's like buying weird sex toys or small condoms. Do you prefer doing it in person, paying cash but having to face a person, or order online and attach that purchase to your credit card statement.

Re: And when are they going to fix chat in their

[Anonymous Coward]

I recall them admitting it was a social experiment to determine if users would continue to use broken crap.

Small words

[s.petry]

The big words like "auto-responder" are out of favor today. Small buzzy words are where the big money comes from! When you go on vacation, make sure you use your afkbot in your email.

Umm, what?

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Is facebook concerned that the 'content' their actual human users is too high quality or something; and needs a bit more algorithmically spewed slurry to bring the SNR back up to a comfortable level?

I for one welcome our Chatbot Overlords

[WillAffleckUW]

I for one welcome our FB neo-nazi chatbot overlords.

Oh, wait, no, I don't.

Thanks but no thanks.

[rpresser]

One more reason I am never installing Messenger anywhere.

Re:Glad they're letting us know

[Ralph Wiggam]

In an average day, how many times do you mention that you don't have a Facebook account?

Maybe more like 'SPAMbots'?

[kheldan]

Am I the only one that thinks these will just end up being used to send Messenger SPAM to people on Facebook?

Re:Glad they're letting us know

[MMC Monster]

A year ago it was about a dozen. Now it's down to two or three.

And hence Facebook's problem. They're no longer relevant.

Rolls right off the tongue - FB Agents

[rsborg]

Hey hon - I just have my new "friend" the FB Agent - can you please tell him your phone number so I can have him call you back with canned message about not pirating DVDs?

Another Nail

[sycodon]

Or is it a Straw?

Eventually, all this asshattery on the part of Facebook will kill it deader than AOL.