Chatbots learn how to negogtiate and drive a hard bargain

Facebook's chatbots are learning the art of the deal, bartering and deceiving their way to better terms in negotiations with humans and other bots. Artificial intelligences that can negotiate effectively would make useful virtual assistants, says Mike Lewis at Facebook's research lab. Bots could be left to arrange appointments for people, sorting out calendar clashes by themselves. Or they could negotiate with several agents at once to book a holiday or make a purchase on your behalf. Most existing bots – such as Apple's Siri or those built into chat apps like Facebook Messenger – may be able to get you a taxi or order a pizza but they can't engage in complex negotiations, says Lewis.