Meta is planning to launch AI-powered chatbots with distinct personalities in September, the Financial Times reported. Zuckerberg’s company aims to enhance engagement on its social media platforms by developing prototypes of chatbots capable of humanlike conversations with Meta’s 4 billion users.
According to the report, the social media giant is exploring the creation of chatbots, “personas,” mimicking the speech of historical figures like Abraham Lincoln and adopting the laid-back style of a surfer to advise users on travel options. These chatbots are intended to serve as a new search function and provide recommendations.
In June, Instagram leaks showed how the app is working on introducing AI chatbots with 30 different personalities to drive user engagement. Leaked images suggested that these chatbots would answer questions, provide advice, and assist users with message writing. They were also called “personas.”
While in February, Zuckerberg announced that Meta had begun creating a new product group dedicated to generative AI. The focus was on building creative and expressive tools with further plans to develop AI personas capable of assisting people in various ways.
Meta is introducing AI chatbots to attract and retain users amid competition from social media platforms and AI companies. The chatbots aim to boost engagement and collect data on users’ interests, enabling better content and ad targeting, crucial for Meta’s $117 billion-a-year advertising revenue. In addition, Meta focuses on improving retention for its app Threads, which reportedly has a 70% decline in daily active users since the July 5 launch.
Other tech companies have already begun offering personality-driven chatbots. For instance, Character.ai uses large language models to simulate conversations as prominent figures or fictional characters. Similarly, Snap introduced its experimental chatbot “My AI” earlier this year, which has engaged with around 150 million users.
Source: mPost
