Facebook Alice and Bob chatbots shut down for talking to one another in their own language (Fact Check)

There is a viral claim that Facebook Alice and Bob chatbots were shut down for talking to one another in their own language.

Well, how is this true? Check out what we know below.

“Facebook recently shut down two of its AI robots named Alice & Bob after they started talking to each other in a language they made up,” reads several posts shared on Facebook.

The post, which has received over 2,500 reactions, goes on to claim that the two AIs created their language in order to “communicate faster and more efficiently.”

Facebook, on the other hand, did have two AI-powered chatbots named Alice and Bob that learned to communicate with each other more efficiently.

However, this did not occur recently.

What happened?

Alice and Bob were automated negotiation chatbots. Chatbots are text-based computer programs that mimic human conversations.

Alice and Bob demonstrated their ability to make deals with varying degrees of success by playing a game in which the two chatbots and human players bartered virtual items such as books, hats, and balls, according to the New Scientist.

The claim in the post that the bots communicated in a made-up language appears to be true.

When Alice and Bob were negotiating, Facebook observed their language. Researchers realized they hadn’t incentivized the bots to follow English grammar rules, which resulted in seemingly illogical dialogue.

Did Facebook shut down Alice and Bob?

The claim in the post that Facebook banned Alice and Bob for developing their own language is also false.

FAIR’s primary research goal was to develop chatbots that can communicate intelligently with humans. As a result, when the bots began using their own shorthand, Facebook directed them to prioritize correct English usage.

All this happened in 2017.