Google is working on a new, smarter messenger app to take on WhatsApp
Google has been working on a new “smart” messaging app for at least a year, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal. There are also reports that this upcoming messenger from the search giant will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that could help Google compete more closely with the popular WhatsApp and Messenger offerings.
Google VP of communications Nick Fox is said to be personally leading the team that is making the service possible. The team is leveraging Google’s deep knowledge and experience in AI and machine learning technology, which will be able to help them understand commands and responses. Google is known for offering its users its search engine, web browsing services through Chrome, email services through Gmail, Google Hangouts, Google+, and many other services. On the other hand, Facebook is popular for its offerings in the world of social networking. It is also adding services such as Facebook Messenger and the aforementioned WhatsApp to its list of offerings. Along with artificial intelligence technology, Google is said to be adding chatbot technology to the new app, according to the Wall Street Journal. Chatbots are computer programs that scour the internet and other sources to find and retrieve answers to questions. The service sounds like it’s meant to directly compete with Facebook M, a bot that Facebook is testing within Messenger. It’s said to do what we’ve seen from Google , M automatically searches the web for answers to questions, but it takes it a step further: for more complex searches, a human assistant will take over, allowing M to do things far beyond what a computer could do. This technology from Google aims to make the app unique by allowing users to ask questions directly from within the chat app and receive instant answers from the web within the same app. The new service will integrate chatbots that will answer questions within a messaging app, a person familiar with the matter said. Users of the app will be able to message friends or forward the message to a chatbot that will then search the web and other sources for information related to your query. It will be interesting to see if users will move towards the "smart" service from Google Hangouts, Google Messenger and Google+. There is no information yet on what the exact name of Google's new messaging app will be and when it will launch.
