Google already has its own generative AI model called Gemini, which is available in a variety of different forms. Earlier today, it announced that it will offer Gemini to teenage students in the near future to help them with their schoolwork.
However, according to a report from The Information, Google is now developing a new chatbot model, based on Gemini, that will simulate talking with celebrities or fictional characters. The story, citing unnamed sources, claims Google is trying to get partnerships with celebrities and social media influencers to see if they would sign up so their virtual personalities could be used for these chatbots. The story says this feature could launch sometime in 2024.
According to the story, this kind of chatbot service could be used by Google to show how its generative AI technology can be turned into something that could attract ordinary consumers.
If this story is accurate, Google will be competing with Meta in this space. In September, Meta announced that it had partnered with a number of well-known people, including Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, and Tom Brady, to help create fictional characters that are used for chatbots for its social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
In addition to creating celebrity-based chatbots, The Information claims that Google is also working on technology that will let users make their own chatbots to talk to. This is similar to Character.AI, which already lets people create simulated chatbot personalities. The story adds that Google could eventually integrate this feature into its YouTube service.
Of course, there"s no word on if Google will actually charge money for this kind of service. It"s possible it could integrate chatting with virtual representations of people with its Google One subscription plan, which already has put in access to its Gemini Advanced model into its AI Premium plans.