Skip to main content

Facebook’s AI assistant M expands to Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the U.K.

The Facebook Messenger demo booth at F8 2017 held in the San Jose Convention Center April 18-19, 2017 in San Jose, Calif.
Image Credit: Khari Johnson

Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders. Subscribe Now


Facebook’s intelligent assistant M is now available for Facebook Messenger users in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the U.K. M in Facebook Messenger first became available in April. M uses machine learning to scan words used in conversations to recommend actions or services.

Tell someone good night and M may suggest a good night sticker. Chat about a plan and M may suggest you create a calendar event. M also suggests you do things like share your location, save a URL or video, initiate a voice or video call, or send best wishes when you’re speaking to someone on their birthday.

Third-party chat extension suggestions from M that bring bots for Delivery.com food orders, Food Network recipes, and Spotify music are only available in the United States.

The move to English-speaking nations beyond the U.S. continues the spread of M to Messenger’s 1.2 billion monthly active users. M for Spanish speakers launched earlier this summer in the U.S., Mexico, and Spain.


AI Scaling Hits Its Limits

Power caps, rising token costs, and inference delays are reshaping enterprise AI. Join our exclusive salon to discover how top teams are:

  • Turning energy into a strategic advantage
  • Architecting efficient inference for real throughput gains
  • Unlocking competitive ROI with sustainable AI systems

Secure your spot to stay ahead: https://bit.ly/4mwGngO


Facebook’s AI assistant M first entered the public imagination in 2015 when private beta trials began for a personal assistant to help Messenger users with daily tasks or make restaurant reservations, buy a gift, or book a vacation. However, earlier this year, reports surfaced that M was unable to handle a majority of tasks without human intervention.

M and other AI produced by Facebook researchers could more than likely play a role beyond Facebook Messenger someday soon. Earlier this month, anonymous sources told Bloomberg Facebook’s experimental Building 8 is developing a smart speaker and a laptop-sized device for video chat that could be released by spring 2018.