Facebook acquires AI assistant startup Ozlo
Facebook has acquired AI assistant startup Ozlo to help build “compelling experiences within Messenger that are powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning,” a Facebook spokesperson has confirmed to VentureBeat. A brief note on the acquisition and plans to join the Messenger team was also shared on the Ozlo website. As part of the acquisition, Facebook will receive Ozlo’s tech and a majority of its team of about 30 employees, and Ozlo will shut down its apps and API services, according to Recode. The Ozlo app for iOS and the web launched in October 2016 and was powered by an AI assistant of the same name. Ozlo initially focused on helping users sift through restaurant listings in a conversational format. Ozlo offerings eventually expanded to include restaurants that serve foods for people with strict dietary restrictions, weather forecasts, and more local business services like movie listings. Similar to other assistants, Ozlo began to leverage APIs from apps like Yelp, Doordash, and others. In March, Ozlo started offering its own APIs. The news comes a week after DigiTimes reported that Facebook is working on its own smart speaker to rival Amazon’s Echo and Apple’s HomePod. A report by The Information earlier this…
Link to Full Article: Facebook acquires AI assistant startup Ozlo
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