Facebook rolls out chat bots, peer-to-peer payments on horizon
Users in the US can already send money to their friends through the app.
Facebook Messenger could soon replace every app on a smartphone as it rolls out a variety of features to position itself as a platform for businesses.
Users can already send text messages, pictures and videos, call friends and play basketball through the Messenger app – and now they can even speak to robots.
Chat bots were rolled out globally this week after an announcement at Facebook’s annual F8 developers’ conference.
Bots built using Facebook’s software will allow users to immediately receive sports and news updates, book hotels, order a car service, shop and find out the weather using a combination of artificial intelligence and pre-programmed options.
A Facebook spokesman would not comment on whether any New Zealand companies had created Messenger bots.
Several NBR staffers interacted with the bots this week, only to continue receiving unsolicited marketing messages long after they were given a goodnight kiss.
Response times are often slow and Poncho the Weathercat, which was shown off by Mark Zuckerberg himself at the conference, is eternally confused (see below).
Mobile payments
Users of Facebook messenger in the US can do even more with the app – a key feature American users have had since August last year is mobile peer-to-peer payments.
Transferring money to friends is as easy as linking a debit or credit card to your Facebook account and pressing the ‘Payment’ button on Messenger. There is also a feature to request payments from others, which they can respond to with one click.
Facebook’s feature is available only to individuals in the US, not businesses. Not yet, at least.
The spokesman declined to comment on when the feature would be launched in New Zealand.
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Chelsea Armitage
Fri, 15 Apr 2016
Fri, 15 Apr 2016
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Facebook rolls out chat bots, peer-to-peer payments on horizon
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