Meta is preparing to launch AI characters in the style of Bender from "Futurama" to attract young people on Facebook and Instagram

Meta

Meta is preparing to release about a dozen conversational chatbots called Gen AI Personas with artificial intelligence on Facebook and Instagram to appeal to younger users.

Here's What We Know

The chatbots will feature a variety of "personas" ranging from cheeky chatterbots to alien aliens. Meta also wants to release a tool that will allow celebrities and authors to create their own digital doppelgangers to interact with fans and followers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, one such bot is a cheeky robot called Bob the robot. He will be using his "sharp wit and biting sarcasm".

Bob is reportedly inspired by Bender, the robot from the Futurama TV series. The character may not seem like a good choice to increase youth engagement, but one Meta staffer claims that Bob's "farcical" Bender-style humour "is resonating with young people".

Bob isn't the only AI persona being worked on. Internal documents also describe an extraterrestrial chatbot called Alvin the Alien that asks people to "share your experiences, thoughts, and emotions". However, Meta staff are concerned that users may see this behaviour as a ploy to collect personal information.

The documents also describe a bot called Gavin, who criticised Mark Zuckerberg and made a sexist remark.

Gen AI Personas could be officially announced as early as this week during the Meta Connect conference.

Source: Wall Street Journal