Meta introduces AI alter-egos of Kendall Jenner, MrBeast and more to draw in younger users
KUALA LUMPUR, October 12 — Talking to celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Kendall Jenner, or Paris Hilton was an almost impossible dream - but not anymore.
Using the power of artificial intelligence (AI), social media users can now interact with their favourite celebrities and even ask them for advice.
Meta launched 28 AI-powered personas at their recent Meta Connect event.
It is an effort to attract younger users to the Metaverse since most of them have chosen TikTok as their go-to social media app, Wall Street Journal reported.
The personas are AI characters played by famous American celebrities and social media influencers from athlete Tom Brady, TikTok star Charli D’Amelio, to YouTuber MrBeast.
Each of the AI characters has a unique personality and skillset and their own profiles on Facebook and Instagram.
For example, Kendall Jenner’s AI is an older sister-like best friend named Billie who looks like the supermodel but isn’t really her.
Many online users were stunned to find out that the videos and photos posted on ‘Billie’s” social media profiles were not real, they were all generated with AI.
Users can speak to the AI characters via Instagram, Messenger, and Whatsapp, and ask them anything related to their fields of interest.
"Our journey with AIs is just beginning, and it isn’t purely about building AIs that only answer questions,” Meta said in a blog post.
"We’ve been creating AIs that have more personality, opinions and interests, and are a bit more fun to interact with.”
The 28 personas cover various interests from fitness, sports, anime, travel, and many more with survival expert Bear Grylls and athlete Chloe Kim set to join the AI ‘family’.
According to the blog post, Meta is planning to give creators AIs that can extend their online presence across our apps.
Meta also assured that future AI programs have to be sanctioned and directly controlled by the creator.
However, there have been concerns from online users and commenters who fear the ramifications of giving one’s likeness and personality to AI.
Users are also surprised at the advancements in making AI more human-like, referencing the science fiction series Black Mirror becoming a reality.
