Meta Continues to Integrate AI Bot Profiles into its Apps

Hey, remember how Meta sort of announced a plan to integrate millions of AI-powered profiles into Facebook and IG, and everybody was upset about it for a few days, but then Meta didn’t say anything else, and we all just sort of forgot that it was happening?

Well it is indeed happening, with Meta slowly but surely integrating more and more AI bot creation and interaction features, across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in varying form.

Here’s a look at the latest AI features spotted in each app (as shared by app researchers Jonah Manzano and Ahmed Ghanem last week).

First off, Messenger has now enabled some users to access its own “AI Studio”, in which you can find AI characters to converse with.

Within the AI studio, which you can access on both desktop and mobile, you’ll also be able to manage your own AI characters that you’ve created for chats.

WhatsApp is also integrating the same, with its own AI Studio link:

That’ll enable more people to find AI bots to talk to, whenever they like.

Which, in some ways, seems kind of lonely, right? Chatting to non-human entities, and even befriending them, also seems like it could have unintended psychological impacts down the line.

But no matter, Meta’s pushing ahead, and we’ll deal with the consequences after the “innovation” has occurred.

So you can chat with AI bots on Messenger, and create your own AI characters, with their own personality style and traits.

Which Instagram is also looking to amplify, via a new AI option in your “Create” tools, where you can build an AI character in-stream.

Instagram’s been building its AI creation tools for some time, enabling customizations to generate user-defined characters for varying purpose.

That option is now being made available to more users, as Meta continues to build on its AI push:

And soon, you’ll also be able to give your AI character a voice as well:

Which is all part of Meta’s AI re-shaping of in-app conversations, in order to drive more overall engagement in its apps through automated characters.

Indeed, late last year, a Meta representative outlined the company’s plan to bring millions of AI characters into its apps, complete with profiles, bios, etc. These characters will post, comment, and engage like real people on Facebook and IG, and many users will likely be unaware that these are not actually real people.

I mean, Facebook users are already falling for all kinds of rubbish AI-generated fake images.

It seems likely, then, that AI bots designed to look like real people will also generate engagement, and drive more usage of Meta’s apps through simulated interaction, and dopamine-inducing response metrics.

But it also feels deceptive, and again it could well lead to mental issues in future, as people increasingly rely on machines for what would normally be human interactions.

As I’ve noted previously, we’ve learned similar lessons the hard way with social media, with the platforms rushing to maximize engagement at all costs, which has now led to concerns around mental health impacts, and the influence, particularly on younger users, of algorithmically-defined content feeds.

That’s why some regions are now moving to restrict social media access among teen users, due to established links between social platforms and anti-social, even criminal behavior.

Yet, despite the many Senate hearings, the many examinations, the many reports into the impacts of social media addiction, we’re now repeating the same with the rush to lead the AI race, with the developers actively pushing to accelerate innovation and usage, with as few guardrails as possible.

The looming specter of China, and its own rapid AI development, is being used as a crutch to enable such. But at the same time, there are risks that are being overlooked within this race.

But no matter, AI bots are cool right? And now you can chat with them within social apps, and have real relationships with non-real entities.

Cool, right?

I don’t know, it feels like this is a different segment of app. It’s not “social,” as such, it’s something else. Which could be beneficial, but really should be in its own separate category, as opposed to integrating human-like profiles into our existing systems, and passing them off as something that they’re not.

But Meta will generate more engagement, and more engagement means more ads, more revenue, etc.

I understand why Meta’s keen to push ahead quickly, but it does feel risky, in many respects.