News of Google and Facebook releasing their own virtual assistants, or chatbots, has driven some analysts to forecast there may be more to follow in 2016.<br />"Chatbots are designed to answer questions, to perform searches, to interact with you in a very simple form, such as jokes or weather," said Altimeter Group principal analyst Brian Solis, predicting what the immediate future may hold for virtual assistants.<br />One of the more "human" virtual assistants we may see in 2016 is Facebook's chatbot called "M." With a short and punchy name, "M" isn't just able to have a normal conversation with a human user; it can also tell jokes, purchase items, or stay on the line as you call utility services.
