Zuckerberg Launches Remodeled Messenger

Expanding on Facebook's embrace of video and communication as a transformative tool, CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday launched the company's new Messenger platform beta at its annual F8 conference for developers. The Messenger announcement was the first major initiative in the long-term vision he presented.

Zuckerberg outlined a major push to incorporate artificial intelligence and bots into the Messenger platform. The revamped service will allow companies and individuals to develop more sophisticated and personal experiences through Messenger than ever before, ultimately transforming the app into a major communications and marketing tool.

"Messenger is going to be the next big platform for sharing privately," Zuckerberg told conference attendees.

More than 900 million people around the world and 50 million businesses use Messenger to communicate every month, he noted. Facebook already has started working with various businesses to help them build deeper relationships with their customers, and it now is opening up the platform to include bots and the send/receive API.