San Francisco:
Meta has decided to fill Facebook and Instagram with artificial intelligence (AI) characters in an effort to boost engagement on its platforms.

According to a Financial Times report, AI characters will be introduced to both Facebook and Instagram, allowing users to create and interact with these characters as they would with real people on the platforms. Users can create these AI personas by visiting Meta’s AI Studio.

Connor Hayes, Vice President of Meta’s Generative AI division, explained that the company expects these AI characters to be a permanent presence on the platforms, similar to how user accounts currently function. These AI characters will have profile pictures and the ability to create and share AI-generated content.

While AI characters are not a new feature, the option to create them through the AI Studio has been available for several months. Hayes noted that millions of AI characters have already been created using the studio.

Meta believes this is just the beginning, as AI Studio is being expanded to more countries outside the U.S. The company plans to further integrate AI technology into its platforms over the next two years.

In addition to fictional characters, the AI Studio will also allow Facebook and Instagram users to create AI versions of themselves, enabling followers to interact with them.

However, the potential privacy risks associated with these AI characters remain unclear. Becky Ong, former head of Meta’s Creator Innovations team, expressed concerns that without proper safety measures, AI accounts could spread misleading content. She added that AI characters might harm users’ reputations, as they lack real-life experiences or emotions, unlike human users.

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