A Wall Street Journal report has claimed Google is planning to take yet another stab at messaging, this time with an intelligent twist.
With the Hangouts app never quite achieving its potential, the WSJ says Google is working on an app that would be a rival to the recently-revealed Facebook ‘M’ platform.
According to the report, the ‘chatbots’ will scour the web for answers and will provide search links if is unable to satisfy the user’s request.
Of course, Google will also allow users to chat with their friends, a la Hangouts, according to the sources.
See also: Google Now On Tap explained
Right now the WSJ says it’s unclear when Google will launch the service or what it will be called.
Google perhaps senses that Facebook, with its M digital assistant, poses a threat to its search business.
Acting like a concierge service, Facebook M will allow users to purchase gifts, make restaurant and travel reservations and much more.
The WSJ says Google is making a service similar to the Luka.ai application, which uses what it knows about the user to make reservations.
“We show you a steakhouse and you say, ‘No I’m vegetarian,’ and the system remembers and doesn’t recommend meat restaurants” next time, Luka.ai CEO Zhenya Kuyda told the WSJ.
If the reports are to be believed Google will be hoping for far greater success than it has achieved with Hangouts and its Messenger application.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
