Facebook is using bots to simulate what its users might do
The context: Like any software company, the tech giant needs to test its product any time it pushes updates. But the sorts of debugging methods that normal-size companies use aren’t really enough when you’ve got 2.5 billion users. Such methods usually focus on checking how a single user might experience the platform and whether the software responds to those individual users’ actions as expected. In contrast, as many as 25% of Facebook’s major issues emerge only when users begin interacting with one another. It can be difficult to see how the introduction of a feature or updates to a privacy setting might play out across billions of user interactions.
SimCity: In response, Facebook built a scaled-down version of its platform to simulate user behavior. Called WW, it helps engineers identify and fix the undesired consequences of new updates before they’re deployed. It also automatically recommends changes that can be made to the platform to improve the community experience.
Hidden from view: In order to create as realistic a simulation as possible, WW is actually built directly on the live platform rather than a separate testing version—another key difference from most testing schemes. The bots, however, stay behind the scenes.
Future perfect: Right now the company is using it to test and improve features that would make it much harder for bad actors to violate the platform’s community guidelines. But it also sees other potential applications for the system, such as testing how platform updates might affect engagement and other metrics.