Yesterday, Mark Zuckerberg revealed where they expect Facebook to be in 10 years. From live video, Messenger and chatbots, to artificial intelligence and internet-beaming satellites, Facebook’s CEO dives into the social media platform’s future during the annual F8 Developer conference. Zuckerberg’s keynote speech brings to light how Facebook is not just social media hub anymore; rather, it is becoming an all-encompassing platform aiming to “connect the world”.
The F8 Developer Conference focuses on all things technology. Attendees, most of which are developers, can learn about new integrations, open source technologies and the latest immersive experiences. The conference features 40 sessions, product announcements, interactive demos, and the opportunity to get one-on-one help from the Facebook team.
Here are just a few notable announcements made by Zuckerberg during the F8 Developer Conference and what it means for users and business owners:
Chatbots Added To Messenger Chat Boxes
The Messenger platform is entering into beta, allowing businesses to create chatbots so that users can interact with AI-powered representatives from businesses right within the Messenger chat box. For example, lets say that you need to purchase a big for a baby shower. All you need to do is contact your own virtual personal assistant, “M,” to purchase a gift for the mom-to-be. This is not the only scenario that helps your daily life. You can get gifts delivered to your friends and family, book appointments and travel itineraries, and more.
This new form of customer service allows businesses to tap into mass audiences. For some, it seems impersonal, but Messenger isn’t looking to replace the live customer representative. Instead, Messenger is aiming to achieve full range accessibility at any point in time.
Bot Engine Becomes The Teacher of ChatBot
As a way to limit any potential poor customer service experiences through Messenger’s personal assistant, “M” technology, Bot Engine was launched as a tool for teaching chatbots how to react in certain types of situations. With a reliance on artificial intelligence, Bot Engine will continuously improve and learn over time.
Free Basics Is Getting The World Online
Through Facebook’s Internet.org program, they plan its first satellite launch in the next few months, giving people around the world more access to the Internet. The Satellites will beam broadband Internet to people in large swaths of sub-Saharan Africa. Facebook also will be building drones that will live in the stratosphere sky beaming Internet to those on the ground without Internet.
Over 15 million people worldwide have already benefited from Facebook’s Free Basics initiative. The initiative’s goal is to connect 5 billion people in coming years.
Zuckerberg’s keynote speech on Facebook’s roadmap over the next 10 years is turning heads for those interested in the future of all things technology. For attendees that spent over $595 to listen to Zuckerberg and many other keynote speakers discuss new integrations, open source technologies, and the latest immersive experiences, Zuckerberg’s speech alone made it worthwhile. Facebook pulled an Oprah Winfrey and gave all of their attendees their very own Samsung Gear VR virtual reality headsets and Samsung smartphones to power them. Clearly Facebook’s big steps into the unknown world of innovation are clearly paying off.
