CarLabs is working with an undisclosed OEM to launch a chatbot by September, which could include integration of the captive finance arm, Brendan Flynn, vice president of marketing, told Auto Finance News.
CarLabs offers a business-to-business car shopping solution for users on platforms like Facebook Messenger and Amazon’s Alexa. Financing could be integrated at a later date into the OEM’s chatbot, Flynn said, allowing customers to directly engage with the captive, and the bot could pull information from credit unions. While this isn’t planned for the initial launch of the bot, it is something that could be easily implemented, he added.
The bots, which are backed by artificial intelligence, can continuously integrate the automaker’s data into its functionality without having to manually update information. The Calabasas, Calif.-based company is currently working with four partners — including another undisclosed OEM, which will launch its own shopping bot on Facebook Messenger in November, Flynn said.