Can I Connect Chatbot to a Facebook Group

Facebook will launch group chatbots at F8

Facebook will reveal at its F8 conference a new class of group bots that work inside Messenger group chats. These group bots tin can keep users informed nearly existent-time news such equally a sports game'south progress, e-commerce deliveries and more, according to iii sources familiar with the evolution of the feature.

Facebook is already working with top chatbot makers to prepare for the launch. Facebook volition open up APIs to allow more developers to starting time edifice group bots, besides. When asked for annotate, a Facebook spokesperson said "nosotros don't comment on rumors or speculation," but my sources confirm this is coming.

For case, a Messenger group of football fans could add a sports bot to their thread, where it could report score changes, big plays and other news from the game. An e-commerce group bot could keep a grouping of coworkers informed about the status of their lunch delivery, letting them know that the order is being prepared and when information technology arrives.

Facebook Messenger already features sports news bots from media property theScore and the NBA'southward Sacramento Kings, plus food-commitment bots similar those from Domino's. Soon they could be equipped to proceed a whole group for friends in the know.

The group bots launch could accost two big problems with the Messenger bot platform Facebook launched last year at F8 that TechCrunch previously reported was coming.

First, the group bots will act more like news tickers instead of trying to pretend to be a human being discussion partner. They're non really "chatbots" as much equally they are "data bots" equally people won't be having the same back-and-along conversations as they do with one-on-one chatbots.

Unripened AI engineering science and poor understanding of questions led many users to be disappointed with Facebook's chatbots. Facebook'south head of Messenger David Marcus admitted at TechCrunch Disrupt that "The problem was information technology got really overhyped, very, very speedily. The basic capabilities we provided at the fourth dimension weren't good enough to basically supervene upon traditional app interfaces and experiences."

Since these group bots won't be the sole conversation partner, at that place will be less pressure on them to human action human, and more opportunity for them to service a specific utility.

Second, their beingness in group chats volition provide a viral growth mechanism for bots, which don't have easy discovery channels already.

Currently, users take to type a bot's proper name into Messenger's search box to start a conversation with one. There'south no native way to browse for bots, and then businesses have to either become the bot's exact name drilled into people's heads through marketing or get them to initiate a conversation with a bot through a Facebook News Feed advertising. That'due south led to the emergence of little-known tertiary-political party browsing options like Botlist.

With group bots, ane user could add a bot to a thread, thereby exposing its existence to other friends in the group. Both detail bots and the whole bots platform could see a ascent in recognition and audition, which might attract higher-profile developers and brands to build them.

It's still unclear how exactly users volition find and add bots to threads. Facebook doesn't have a bot store or suggester, but mayhap more bot discovery options volition exist role of the slew of announcements slated for Facebook'southward big yearly F8 development conference on April 18th and 19th in San Jose. We'll be at that place to ostend today'south scoop and provide analysis of the rest of the news Facebook reveals.

While truly conversational AI will eventually rise to proficiency, Facebook is smart to refocus on group bot applied science that tin can reliably solve real needs today.

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Source: https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/29/facebook-group-bots/

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