Facebook conceives new ‘Moneypenny’ digital shopping assistant
Facebook is entering the digital assistant frame with its own customised voice assistant for users of its Messenger service seeking to find and buy products, according to a report in The Information.
Codenamed after James Bond’s own secretary Moneypenny, the virtual assitant is currently undergoing final testing ahead of its planned launch, a date for which has yet to be set.
Eschewing the wide-ranging productivity aims of existing digital assistant’s such as Apple’s Siri or Google Now Moneypenny focuses exclusively on assisting with procuring products and services.
This will reportedly work by engaging real people to research the best deals although the precise details of the system remain opaque it’s likely the service may require a service charge.
Facebook Messenger is being positioned as a shopping tool by the social media platform as it branches out from simple text messages.
Last month, while speaking at Cannes, Sir Tim Berners Lee discussed his views on the rise of virtual assitants and the rise of artificial inteligence.