Facebook has acquired Servicefriend, which builds 'hybrid' chatbots, for Calibra customer service

As Facebook prepares to launch its new cryptocurrency Libra in 2020, it's putting the pieces in place to help it run. In one of the latest developments, it has acquired Servicefriend, a startup that built bots -- chat clients for messaging apps based on artificial intelligence -- to help customer service teams, TechCrunch has confirmed. The news was first reported in Israel, where Servicefriend is based, after one of its investors, Roberto Singler, alerted local publication The Marker about the deal.