Buzz
The Ozlo app emerged on the market last year, aiming to support existing virtual assistant apps alongside others like Google Allo by Alphabet, Messenger by Facebook, and Skype by Microsoft.
Facebook Messenger will be smarter thanks to this Chatbot
Ozlo offers an array of services, from providing cooking recipes to locating nearby restaurants and displaying movie showtimes, among other features. Despite its limited popularity on Android with only 500 - 1000 installations.
Previously, creating a Facebook chatbot required users to go through the steps of setting up a chatbot specifically for their Facebook. With this significant change, in the future, users will receive updates for Facebook chatbot functionality directly within their Facebook Messenger app.
Finally, users of Facebook Messenger can engage with multiple chatbots within the app, aligning with Facebook's goal of encouraging businesses to utilize technology to interact with their customers. Facebook has also been testing its dedicated assistant, 'M', initially for a small group of users, and recently, some components of 'M' have become available to all Messenger users.
The Ozlo Team, comprising 29 employees, has integrated into Facebook, all of whom will work within Facebook's Messenger team, according to a Facebook spokesperson responding to CNBC.
'By joining the team to share our values and vision, we will continue working to advance artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. There's still much for us to explore, and we're excited to bring our technology to the Messenger community,' Ozlo shared in a message on its website.
Facebook Messenger set to get smarter with this Chatbot
In recent years, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft have all been investing in AI - artificial intelligence to enhance their services.
Ozlo was founded in 2013, headquartered in Palo Alto, California, near Facebook's main campus in Menlo Park. Investors include AME Cloud Ventures and Greylock. Co-founder Charles Jolley previously worked at Facebook as Head of Facebook for Android and launched Facebook Home.
