According to the Financial Times, Meta is planning to roll out AI bots that can interact with users on Facebook like a real person. The accounts will be able to generate content and have their own Facebook profile pages.
Commenting on the possible future feature, Meta vice-president of product for generative AI Connor Hayes, said:
"We expect these AIs to actually, over time, exist on our platforms, kind of in the same way that accounts do. They'll have bios and profile pictures and be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform... that's where we see all of this going."
While the reaction to this development is likely to be overwhelmingly negative by users, there are some potential positives too. For example, social media platforms like Facebook are a hotbed of fake news, you could imagine a Meta AI bot piping up in the comments of a fake news post letting everyone know the content is not true.
Social media is also a hotbed for arguments, you could imagine an AI bot stepping in to help add a bit of decorum to the thread. Of course, there are going to be some things Meta needs to be careful of.
While bots have guardrails built in, these can sometimes be circumvented. In the case of Facebook bots, they will need to ensure they keep content child-friendly as many children use the platform. These bots really ought to carry a badge next to their name or profile picture too, to clearly indicate that it is an artificial intelligence.
Facebook also needs to be careful about the impact on its reputation. Facebook's standout feature is that it has managed to get billions of people and organizations onto its platform like no other company has managed. If it starts filling it up with AI, people may lose interest and leave.
Source: Financial Times via Futurism
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