Meta is reportedly gearing up to enhance its social media platforms by deploying artificial intelligence (AI) bots that will function as standard user accounts. According to recent reports, the tech giant aims to introduce AI-driven characters capable of posting, sharing, liking, and engaging in activities typically performed by human users. These AI bots are anticipated to be integrated into both Facebook and Instagram. Last July, Meta rolled out a feature allowing users to create AI characters, but this functionality is currently limited to the US and the generated characters cannot be made public.
A report from the Financial Times indicates that Meta is exploring various ways to incorporate AI within its platforms. The company has already launched several AI initiatives, including the Meta AI chatbot, AI writing tools for Instagram direct messages, and AI avatars tailored for influencers and creators. In a statement to the publication, Connor Hayes, Meta’s vice president of product for generative AI, remarked that introducing AI-powered user accounts represents the next phase in the company’s evolution.
“We expect these AIs to actually, over time, exist on our platforms, kind of in the same way that accounts do,” Hayes stated. He elaborated that these AI accounts would feature profiles akin to those of human users, complete with biographies and profile images, and would be capable of generating and sharing content on the platforms.
Hayes also mentioned that enhancing the entertainment and engagement aspects of its platforms is a priority project for Meta, driven by increasing competition from TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). The incorporation of AI tools and characters is seen as a strategy to elevate user interaction across Meta’s social media applications.
Meanwhile, experts have expressed concerns regarding the potential downsides of this initiative. One major issue is the risk of misinformation proliferating, exacerbated by the sheer volume of AI accounts operating on potentially misleading AI models.
Another concern raised is the potential inundation of low-quality content, stemming from the current AI models’ limitations in producing genuinely creative output. A decline in content quality could alienate users from platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
