MSN Messenger Adds Two New IM Bots

Microsoft announced two new MSN Messenger bots this week, but took a noticeably different approach in introducing them to users by first asking. Competitor AOL caused quite a stir last month when it automatically added two AIM bots to its users' Buddy Lists, which resulted in a flood of complaints.

The bots from MSN offer answers to questions from Microsoft's Encarta encyclopedia, as well as BBC television listings. Users can start sessions with the automated services by saying "hello" and following the prompts. Those interested can add [email protected] and [email protected] to their contact lists in order to test out of the bots.