This Messaging App is the Facebook Siri Equivalent
Charlotte Joyce Kidd — August 31, 2015 — Tech
From within Facebook Messenger, users will now be able to request assistance with everything from ordering flowers to booking plane tickets, using 'M' -- the equivalent of Facebook Siri.
Siri is the virtual assistant that lives in the iPhone's operating system. iPhone users can ask her to give them directions or send their mother a birthday gift. The Facebook Siri, called 'M,' will function in a similar way, but is actually quite different. From the Facebook Messenger app, users will be able to choose an option to chat with M. They can then request things from it (M is genderless) as if it were their own personal assistant. The difference between M and Siri is that whereas Siri is totally automated, fueled by the power of artificial intelligence, M runs on a mixture of AI and live support. So it could be a human or a computer answering your texts and making your dinner reservations.
The impressive system will be just the latest move in Facebook's ever-expanding campaign to provide technology for every aspect of everyday life.
Siri is the virtual assistant that lives in the iPhone's operating system. iPhone users can ask her to give them directions or send their mother a birthday gift. The Facebook Siri, called 'M,' will function in a similar way, but is actually quite different. From the Facebook Messenger app, users will be able to choose an option to chat with M. They can then request things from it (M is genderless) as if it were their own personal assistant. The difference between M and Siri is that whereas Siri is totally automated, fueled by the power of artificial intelligence, M runs on a mixture of AI and live support. So it could be a human or a computer answering your texts and making your dinner reservations.
The impressive system will be just the latest move in Facebook's ever-expanding campaign to provide technology for every aspect of everyday life.
Trend Themes
1. Virtual Personal Assistants - The rise of messaging-based personal assistants like Facebook's 'M' presents an opportunity for businesses to integrate their services into popular platforms and streamline the customer experience.
2. Hybrid AI Systems - Developing complex AI systems that blend the accuracy and efficiency of machine learning with the empathy and intuition of human operators could revolutionize the virtual assistant industry.
3. Multitasking Interfaces - As virtual assistants move beyond voice commands, creating interfaces that allow users to seamlessly switch between different tasks and modes of communication will be key to enhancing the user experience.
Industry Implications
1. Travel and Hospitality - Companies in the travel and hospitality industry can leverage messaging-based virtual assistants to provide personalized recommendations and bookings to customers through channels they're already using.
2. E-commerce and Retail - Integrating messaging-based virtual assistants into e-commerce platforms could help businesses provide shoppers with enhanced support and product recommendations, as well as handle customer service queries.
3. Telecommunications - As messaging becomes the dominant mode of communication for consumers, virtual assistant technology presents an opportunity for telecommunications companies to integrate their services more seamlessly into customers' daily routines.
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