Facebook's new Assistant "M" could be a game changer

[soxhop411]

Facebook's new assistant "M" is trying to challenge Android and apple's assistant, and so far it seems like it can do a lot more than what Siri and google currently do.
 
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkantrowitz/heres-what-m-facebook-messengers-virtual-assistant-looks-lik#.byEGDqneB
 
http://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/the-personal-assistant-that-will-help-facebook-eat-the-inter#.nqYB8z4qy
 
 
would you use this?

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Facebook's new assistant "M" is trying to challenge Android and apple's assistant, and so far it seems like it can do a lot more than what Siri and google currently do.
 
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkantrowitz/heres-what-m-facebook-messengers-virtual-assistant-looks-lik#.byEGDqneB
 
http://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/the-personal-assistant-that-will-help-facebook-eat-the-inter#.nqYB8z4qy
 
 
would you use this?

 
Seems to me that it's comparable to Cortana, although Cortana could get an Uber if asked.
 
But I'm curious.  I'm on the over-paranoid scale of these things, but are people just so used to giving information to the Internet that they don't really care what Apple/Google/MS/FB does with this data?  Is it that for most people, so much of their information is already available through the internet that they don't care if one more things accesses all of our personal information?

 

[mauf]

The article is five years old, and I'm not sure I agree with the author's answers, but the question is still timely.
 
Why Do We Trust Google More Than Facebook?
 
And more recent information suggests Facebook's problem has persisted: they are the only major tech company trusted less than the NSA.
 
I don't even have an opinion whether or not this is valid. It seems to me that Facebook has been admirably candid about how their business model is based on their ability to monetize your personal information, but I'm not the target consumer for any of these services. 
 
But I think Facebook's tech will have to crush Google's equivalent to get people to use it, and I'm kind of skeptical that Google will allow itself to get so badly beat on a project that poses such an obvious threat to its core revenue base.

 

[soxhop411]

 
Seems to me that it's comparable to Cortana, although Cortana could get an Uber if asked.
 
But I'm curious.  I'm on the over-paranoid scale of these things, but are people just so used to giving information to the Internet that they don't really care what Apple/Google/MS/FB does with this data?  Is it that for most people, so much of their information is already available through the internet that they don't care if one more things accesses all of our personal information?

eh... Im cautious with what I hand over online... For example I wouldn't use M to buy tickets personally, but I would use it for other things

 

[Foulkey Reese]

Do people here even really use Siri or the Google Now voice function all that much?

 

[Trlicek's Whip]

Do people here even really use Siri or the Google Now voice function all that much?

 
Yeah I thought voice assts were still in the "HEY GUESS WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW I'M ON A PLANE CALLING YOU ON THE PHONE!" humblebragging stages of wonder and practical utility.

 

[canderson]

Do people here even really use Siri or the Google Now voice function all that much?

I use Siri pretty often to set timers, set alarms, get the weather, get directions, send texts and add events to my calendar. 
 
I don't believe I'm a lone wolf on this. 
 
Edit: I should add I use it now that it's always on with my 6S. I never used it much when you had to hold the home button. 

 

[Spelunker]

I use Google Now for search all the time, less so for functions (other than the occasional text/email).

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

Do people here even really use Siri or the Google Now voice function all that much?

 
Absolutely. 
 

"Set a reminder for 45 minutes from now."  / "What do you want me to remind you about?" / "Empty the dryer."
"Set a reminder for tomorrow at 2pm."  / "What do you want me to remind you about?" / "Pick up the dry cleaning."
"Set a reminder for 2 hours from now."  / "What do you want me to remind you about?" / "Take your pill."

 

 

[B H Kim]

Do people here even really use Siri or the Google Now voice function all that much?

 
I use it all the time while I'm driving for things like hands-free control of music playback and reading incoming emails to me.

 

[Tony C]

yeah, use Cortana all the time, too.

 

[Max Power]

Cortana's location-based reminders are extremely useful. "Remind me to buy vanilla extract next time I'm at Trader Joe's." And the next time I go near a Trader Joe's, it pops right up.

 

[singaporesoxfan]

Wow a lot more people use voice assistance than I thought. I'm almost never in a place where voice assistance is more convenient than using my hands. Only exception is when I'm driving, and then Siri is so unreliable I don't trust it to recognize what I'm saying enough to use it.

 

[Max Power]

Driving is also a place where some of the voice features really shine. When I get a text, the bluetooth automatically kicks on and it says, "You got a text from [person], do you want to read it, or ignore it?" I can tell it to read it, then reply via voice to text, or call them back. I never have to touch the phone or any of the car's buttons.

 

[iayork]

Wow a lot more people use voice assistance than I thought. I'm almost never in a place where voice assistance is more convenient than using my hands. Only exception is when I'm driving, and then Siri is so unreliable I don't trust it to recognize what I'm saying enough to use it.

 
If you haven't tried Siri recently, you might be pleasantly surprised.  Her voice recognition has never undergone a sudden jump, but it's been consistently improving month by month since it was introduced, especially if you have a more recent phone.  
 
I use Siri for reminders and timers during the day, and for sending/receiving texts and getting directions in the car.  Sending texts used to be the least reliable, but for at least a year now it's generally been pretty good.  
 
 

 
I'm on the over-paranoid scale of these things, but are people just so used to giving information to the Internet that they don't really care what Apple/Google/MS/FB does with this data? 

 
I wouldn't use Facebook, am reluctant to use Google.  For both of those companies, we are not clients, we're product, to be ground up and sold to advertisers in 5-pound clear plastic baggies.  
 
For Apple, we're the user, not the product. I trust them not to abuse my data or sell it.  On the other hand, I'm less confident with Apple's competence than Google's; I would be less surprised to see a data breach from Apple than Google. (And I would be more surprised if Facebook actually kept data safe. I have no faith at all in their competence or good will.)  I don't know where I'd put Microsoft on the competence/malevolence scales.

 

[derekson]

 
If you haven't tried Siri recently, you might be pleasantly surprised.  Her voice recognition has never undergone a sudden jump, but it's been consistently improving month by month since it was introduced, especially if you have a more recent phone.  
 
I use Siri for reminders and timers during the day, and for sending/receiving texts and getting directions in the car.  Sending texts used to be the least reliable, but for at least a year now it's generally been pretty good.  
 
 
 
I wouldn't use Facebook, am reluctant to use Google.  For both of those companies, we are not clients, we're product, to be ground up and sold to advertisers in 5-pound clear plastic baggies.  
 
For Apple, we're the user, not the product. I trust them not to abuse my data or sell it.  On the other hand, I'm less confident with Apple's competence than Google's; I would be less surprised to see a data breach from Apple than Google. (And I would be more surprised if Facebook actually kept data safe. I have no faith at all in their competence or good will.)  I don't know where I'd put Microsoft on the competence/malevolence scales.

 
This perspective lines up with my feelings pretty accurately. I trust Apple more not because they're inherently trustworthy, but because I know they're releasing a product that they want to use to make me spend more money on their hardware. With Google (and Facebook), they're holding out free candy and hoping that you don't stop and think about the reason they can offer that candy for free.