Facebook reveals new technologies to enhance B2C engagement
Social media giant unveils new AI, AR and VR technologies at annual F8 developers’ conference
Facebook hosted its annual developers’ conference F8 last week, providing businesses with an insight into how they can exploit the social network’s new features to better connect with their customers.
During F8, Facebook Messenger developers revealed the new Discover tab, a feature that will enable Facebook users to find the Messenger bot they’re looking for “in an intuitive and thoughtful way”.
The social media giant also launched physical parametric Messenger codes, a technology that uses physical barcodes which can be scanned through the Messenger camera, to link users to their chosen brands and businesses.
The conference also offered insight into the Smart Replies feature, enabling businesses to respond more quickly to frequently asked questions, and Hand-Over Protocol, for businesses to work alongside other developers to build unique Messenger experiences for their customers.
Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer announced major investment into connectivity, artificial intelligence, and virtual and augmented reality.
The smartphone camera, was a prominent focus for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg who dubbed it “the first mainstream augmented reality platform”.
On the back of this Zuckerberg revealed the Camera Effects Platform, which will give developers the power to build AR tools for the camera. Facebook is also leveraging the power of AI, discussing a new AI-infused camera experience that will run on computer vision algorithms.
“This camera can now understand your surroundings, recognize people, places and things. It can annotate and enhance images and video,” a Facebook statement said.
Within the report, the feature was described as “a suite of creative tools to give our community of artists and developers the power to create a full spectrum of effects for the new Facebook camera, from simple photo frames to interactive effects and masks using the latest in augmented reality technologies.”
The most revolutionary move to be announced was Facebook’s investment in a technology that will allow people to deliver language through their skin. More immediate work is being done to develop a system that will enable users to control their smartphone with their minds.
A Facebook spokesperson commented: “We have a goal of creating a silent speech system capable of typing 100 words per minute straight from your brain – that’s five times faster than you can type on a smartphone today.
“It’s a way to communicate with the speed and flexibility of your voice and the privacy of text. We want to do this with non-invasive, wearable sensors that can be manufactured at scale.”
With a global network of almost two billion active users, egaming businesses are rapidly extending their reach into Facebook. Earlier this year Paddy Power and Tangelo unveiling Messenger chatbots to improve customer engagement. Operators are increasingly investing in the Facebook Live feature as another powerful engagement tool.