A month ago, Facebook and Uber unveiled a new feature that lets users summon a car from within Facebook's Messenger app. Users simply talk to an Uber bot as if it were a friend, and tell it where they want to be picked up and where they want to go. As far as user interfaces go, it's incredibly simply, and it seems likely we'll see more companies testing similar designs in the future. According to a report from TechCrunch, Facebook is giving select third parties access to development tools that let them build their own bots for Messenger, creating virtual chat partners that can automatically respond to customers' queries; returning information, images, and even processing payments.

Asian chat apps already let users shop, book flights, and more

It might sound like Facebook is unwisely encouraging competition to M, its own text-based virtual assistant, but the company has ongoing plans to turn its chat app into a platform for other brands and businesses. This model has already proved successful in Asia, where chat apps can handle everything from booking flights to managing bank accounts, and Facebook has been slowly adding to Messenger's capabilities over the past year or so, launching features that allow users to chat to businesses directly, exchanging information like delivery times and receipts.