Meta Platforms is set to introduce a variety of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbots, each designed with distinct personalities, starting in September, according to a report from the Financial Times released on Tuesday.
The social media behemoth, headquartered in Menlo Park, California, has been crafting prototypes intended for human-like conversations, which aligns with the company’s strategy to enhance user engagement across its social media platforms. This information comes from sources familiar with Meta’s development plans.
Among the chatbot concepts under consideration is one that mimics the speech patterns of Abraham Lincoln, along with another that offers travel advice in a style reminiscent of a surfer. The primary aim of these bots will be to introduce a new search capability and provide personalized recommendations.
This initiative arrives at a time when Meta executives are keenly focused on increasing user retention for their new text-based app, Threads, which has experienced a decline of more than 50% in users shortly after its launch on July 5.
Meta has yet to issue a response to a request for comment from Reuters.
In its recent earnings report, the parent company of Facebook announced a significant increase in advertising revenue, projecting third-quarter earnings to surpass market expectations.
Meta is on a path of recovery following a challenging 2022, driven by excitement around emerging AI technologies and a cost-cutting initiative that has led to approximately 21,000 job cuts since last fall.
Additionally, a report from Bloomberg News in July indicated that Apple is developing its own AI capabilities similar to those of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, with its internal framework dubbed ‘Ajax’ for creating large language models. Apple is also testing a chatbot referred to by some engineers as ‘Apple GPT.’
© Thomson Reuters 2023
