The approach is typical of the tech-savvy nature of Silicon Valley: Facebook employees exposed to critical relatives' demands during the holidays should receive digital help from their employer: The company has programmed a chatbot for its employees that answers critical questions Company line supplies.
"Our employees ask about topics that have been in the news, especially around the holidays, for information they can use to help friends and family," a Facebook spokeswoman for the New York Times said. The software had been tested since spring.
So-called chatbots are programs that simulate a conversation. In many cases, they provide their interlocutor with answers to specific questions.
For example, according to The New York Times, Facebook's chatbot software lists the following points when asked what Facebook does about hate speech:
- The online network consults with experts on the subject
- there are more people hired to delete posts identified as hate speech,
- and it's working on artificial intelligence that can detect such content.
- Overall, on this issue regulation is important, the chatbot concludes the newspaper, according to the statements.
Ask Liam
The answers that the software called "Liam Bot" has responded to employee questions have been developed by Facebook's public relations department. The program also provides links to blog entries and company press releases.
Such arguments should be gratefully received by some employees. Facebook has been repeatedly criticized in recent years, partly because of the data scandal surrounding Cambridge Analytica, the dissemination of hate speech and its role as a platform for propaganda from Russia in the US presidential campaign 2016.
In addition to answers to thorny questions, Chatbot Liam also offers help with practical problems that relatives or friends might have, writes The New York Times. For example, he can explain how to proceed step by step if you lose access to his Facebook account because the password has been reset.
