Facebook’s 'spammy' chatbots must improve - and fast

Company's new Messenger chatbot prompts nonsensical answers and unrelenting spam, which risks tipping users over the edge

If bots are the new apps, we're in for a bombardment of spam that could force you into blocking brands, bots and services, if Facebook's new chatbots are anything to go by.

In trying out the new bots, the launch of which Facebook's head of messaging David Marcus called "the first day of a new era", it's obvious that Facebook and its partners, including news organisations such as CNN and the Wall Street Journal, need to learn a few things, and fast.