Facebook Working on 'Moneypenny' Personal Assistant for Messenger

[MacRumors]

Thus far, virtual personal assistants like Siri, Google Now and Cortana have been part of an effort to differentiate mobile platforms like iOS and Android. Facebook, however, is working on bringing virtual personal assistants to its Messenger app and the web, according to The Information.

Facebook's offering, which is codenamed "Moneypenny" after the assistant character in the James Bond franchise, will allow users to ask real people for help to research and purchase products and services. Moneypenny will be able to help users with other tasks, but it's unclear what those tasks could be. It's also unknown when Moneypenny could launch.

In recent months Facebook has been working on turning Messenger into a platform, opening up the service to third-party iOS app integration and allowing developers to build apps for the service. Additionally, Facebook previewed the ability for users to be able to message businesses directly to receive updates and shipping confirmations about their online orders as well as the ability to ask free-form questions about orders from within the app.

Facebook Messenger is available for free on the App Store [Direct Link]

Article Link: Facebook Working on 'Moneypenny' Personal Assistant for Messenger

 

[seamer]

The real money will be decided on whether they allow Siri to interact with it or not.

 

[macsba]

So they can screw the members for more private information and monetize it. If I were Apple, I wouldn't approve it for the Mac nor for the iOS devices.

 

[macsba]

The real money will be decided on whether they allow Siri to interact with it or not.

I hope Apple doesn't allow it to happen.

 

[iBlazed]

Additionally, Facebook previewed the ability for users to be able to message businesses directly to receive updates and shipping confirmations about their online orders as well as the ability to ask free-form questions about orders from within the app.

You mean like a text message or email? Revolutionary.

 

[QCassidy352]

Excellent. I was just thinking "how can I give Facebook even more access to the details of my life so they can further mine and sell my information?" And bam! Here's my answer!

 

[movieator]

Facebook, stop trying to make Facebook a thing.

 

[\-V-/]

Everything they try to do that has nothing to do with the basic premise of social media ends up being either stupid or a complete failure. Anyone remember the Facebook phone? Yeah, neither do I.

 

[movieator]

Everything they try to do that has nothing to do with the basic premise of social media ends up being either stupid or a complete failure. Anyone remember the Facebook phone? Yeah, neither do I.

This. A million times this.

 

[H2SO4]

I hope Apple doesn't allow it to happen.

Why? Just leave it off as a default and make people choose if they want it. Gotta problem with that?

 

[SgtPepper12]

I really wonder what Facebook's business model is. For years they are quite desperately trying to make Facebook more than Facebook and nothing sticks so far, not even close. They bought random stuff, but they are clearly lacking original ideas.

 

[0007776]

I really wonder what Facebook's business model is. For years they are quite desperately trying to make Facebook more than Facebook and nothing sticks so far, not even close. They bought random stuff, but they are clearly lacking original ideas.

I think their business model is get as much information about you as they can and sell it to advertisers to make money.

 

[sshambles]

Surely someone from the James Bond franchise will be suing for naming infringement...

 

[fhall1]

It's a code name not the final product name.

 

[KALLT]

This app is already draining so much energy, why can't it just stay simple? I don't get Facebook at all. They started with a pretty good Facebook app, only to bloat it with lots of new features until they decide to spin off one part into a separate app. Now they're doing the same.

I really wonder what Facebook's business model is. For years they are quite desperately trying to make Facebook more than Facebook and nothing sticks so far, not even close. They bought random stuff, but they are clearly lacking original ideas.

I'd wager that Facebook just isn't popular aside from its social network. People accept Facebook for what it is, but for everything else there is no reason to stick with the company's products.

 

[sshambles]

It's a code name not the final product name.

I'm aware of this - I meant in the final release of it.

 

[peterh988]

Surely someone from the James Bond franchise will be suing for naming infringement...

I was wondering that, if they were going to argue it's just a name, and coincidentally used by the Bond franchise, or if they licence it. I'm guessing the former.

I recall the Bond people are hot about the 'double-O-seven' wording, and prevented a car manufacturer from referring verbally to it's model 1007 as "one double-O seven", instead insisting they used one thousand and seven or one-zero-zero-seven.

 

[Gymgenius]

This app is already draining so much energy, why can't it just stay simple? I don't get Facebook at all. They started with a pretty good Facebook app, only to bloat it with lots of new features until they decide to spin off one part into a separate app. Now they're doing the same.

It drained so much energy from me that I deleted my account!

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I was wondering that, if they were going to argue it's just a name, and coincidentally used by the Bond franchise, or if they licence it. I'm guessing the former.

I recall the Bond people are hot about the 'double-O-seven' wording, and prevented a car manufacturer from referring verbally to it's model 1007 as "one double-O seven", instead insisting they used one thousand and seven or one-zero-zero-seven.

Generally people outside the company don't ever know what the code names of products are, so you don't put a lot of effort into a code name. You just give it a code name because people need something to call it when discussing it. You might give it a code name because marketing hasn't come up with a name for it yet, or because it never will have a name (IE, because it's version 1.0.1.1.5 of a product, but you're also concurrently working on version 1.0.1.2, 1.0.2, 1.1, and 2.0. Nobody wants to call it by the version number because that's unwieldy, so internally you have code names for all of them.)

Also, I don't understand - what is the purpose of this assistant? If it's just about posting on Facebook and sending messages by voice, why not collaborate with Apple to add those features to Siri and with Google to add those features to Now (is that the name of the Android virtual assistant? I don't know...)

 

[garirry]

Uh... All they try to do these days is spy on us and maybe even sell our personal data. I'm glad I deleted all my Facebook accounts.

 

[iBlazed]

Facebook, stop trying to make Facebook a thing.

Facebook, stop trying to make "fetch" happen.

 

[unplugme71]

Facebook would be better off spinning things without its name. I don't want Facebook Wallet, Facebook Mail, Facebook Search. Your name was tied to a social media platform and that's how it will be known. If its not social media related, then get out. Sure companies can spin other products and pull it off, but you can't.

 

[fhall1]

I'm aware of this - I meant in the final release of it.

Code names are company internal only - they wouldn't use it on the final product.

 

[MH01]

Good luck Facebook, though I can in no way associate Moneypenny with Facebook.

 

[seamer]

I hope Apple doesn't allow it to happen.

Why not? All the other personal assistants are OS-specific. This is a platform. Siri should be able to work with it if it has features Apple (and other vendors) aren't allowed to access directly.