Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company will introduce AI characters created by users through Meta AI Studio on Instagram. The initial tests will take place in the U.S.
This announcement coincides with a16z-backed chatbot company Character.AI launching the capability for users to engage with AI avatars over a call.
Meta AI Characters and Chatbots on Instagram
Zuckerberg confirmed through a broadcast channel post that the company will label AI characters as AI to ensure user awareness. He mentioned, “Rolling out an early test in the U.S. of our AI studio. As a result, users might start seeing AIs from their favorite creators and interest-based AIs in the coming weeks on Instagram. These will primarily show up in messaging for now.
He also acknowledged that these AI characters are in their early beta stage. In addition, Meta will continue to enhance them and make them accessible to more users soon. Zuckerberg highlighted collaborations with creators such as the meme account Wasted and technology creator Don Allen Stevenson III to introduce initial versions of creator-made chatbots.
Use Cases and Future Developments
In an interview on his social channels, Zuckerberg discussed the potential use cases for AI avatars, emphasizing the need for various APIs to cater to different interests. He expressed the company’s aim to empower every creator and eventually every small business on the platform. Additionally, it will create its own AI for interacting with its community and customers.
Furthermore, creators could employ AI characters to engage with their fans, especially when they are unable to respond to all incoming messages. Zuckerberg admitted that the quality of the AI avatars will evolve and improve over time, likening it to an “art form” with an uncertain but exciting path ahead.
Meta Testing and Launch Plans
Initially, Meta will test the feature with approximately 50 creators and a small user subset. As a result, it aims to expand the rollout to more users over the next couple of months. The company hopes to have the feature fully launched by August.
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Meta first introduced its AI studio at its developer conference last year, allowing businesses to build custom chatbots.
