Facebook recently announced a full release of Facebook M, a digital assistant for Facebook Messenger. Facebook released a beta version of Facebook M in August of 2015 to a few hundred users. Now available to everyone in the US, users are able to do numerous things with the help of the digital assistant. You may not know that M is already on your phone until it pops up to make a suggestion for you. This article will give you information on what Facebook M can help you with, how it works, how you can modify the digital assistant, and what the future of digital assistantship looks like for Facebook.
What Can Facebook M Do?
According to Facebook’s press release, Facebook M can assist users in a variety of ways while communicating through Facebook messenger. The assistant can do the following:
- Send stickers based on certain words you use like “hello” or “bye”.
- Assists in sending or receiving money through Facebook. Note that both users must have a debit card registered with Facebook.
- Share your location.
- If plans are being discussed, M can assist with organizing, for instance scheduling a time and date through your calendar in your phone.
- For group chats only, M can help set up a poll to resolve debates within the group.
- If you are talking with someone about getting a ride, M can suggest getting a ride with Uber, Lyft, or another ride service.
Although the beta version allowed you to ask questions directly to M, this feature was dropped with the full version release. The beta version could also assist with things like dealing with wait time during a phone call. However, with more users on board, the continuance of human assistance that was responsible for these types of tasks was unfeasible.
How Does Facebook M Work?
In the original beta version, Facebook M relied partially on human assistance to the interface. Now with more users, and like many digital assistants, Facebook M relies on AI data learning techniques. Facebook M may not work perfectly at first, but as it tracks your personal patterns in your conversations, and as you do or do not use its suggestions, it will become more accurate in assisting you.
Facebook M will pop up during conversations dependent on the kind of language used while exchanging messages with other Facebook users. For instance, if you are messaging multiple people and trying to decide where to eat for lunch, M can help you to start a group poll to assist in making a decision. M is embedded into the Facebook messenger app so it makes suggestions automatically.
How Do I Get Facebook M?
Facebook M has been automatically added to your Facebook messenger app with the latest update, and it will make suggestions unless you tell it otherwise. By going to your settings and clicking on “M Settings”, you can change ride preferences to suggest any ride service, Uber, Lyft, or none. Additionally, you can learn more about the app and how it works through the settings page. If you are uncomfortable with M tracking your conversations and do not wish to use Facebook M, you have the option to turn the assistant off.
The Future of Facebook M And Facebook AI
Although Facebook M was just released, Facebook is continually thinking to the future on what is next for the social media company. In an interview with Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO stated that digital assistance will help users connect with each other and also with businesses that use Facebook. Large companies that currently have dedicated social media personnel to address customer questions may find relief in having a sophisticated AI system to assist with customer support. Although nothing is set in stone yet, Facebook M and the company as a whole aim to utilize high-tech digital assistance to make the app and site more seamless in the interactions between users and AI.