FINANCIAL TIMES: Meta envisages social media filled with AI-generated users
- Liviu Poenaru
- Dec 28, 2024
- 2 min read
Dec. 28, 2024
Meta is betting that characters generated by artificial intelligence will fill its social media platforms in the next few years as it looks to the fast-developing technology to drive engagement with its 3bn users.
The Silicon Valley group is rolling out a range of AI products, including one that helps users create AI characters on Instagram and Facebook, as it battles with rival tech groups to attract and retain a younger audience.
“We expect these AIs to actually, over time, exist on our platforms, kind of in the same way that accounts do,” said Connor Hayes, vice-president of product for generative AI at Meta. “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,” he added.
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But experts warn that AI-generated content brings risks such as the potential for these characters to be “weaponised” for spreading misinformation. “Without robust safeguards, platforms risk amplifying false narratives through these AI-driven accounts,” said Becky Owen, global chief marketing and innovation officer at creative agency Billion Dollar Boy and former head of Meta’s creator innovations team.
To address concerns, Meta’s rules state that AI-generated content should be labelled clearly on its platforms. Owen noted that while AI characters could be a “creative new entertainment format”, there was a risk that they might flood platforms with low-quality material that undermines creators’ craft as well as erode confidence among users. “Unlike human creators, these AI personas don’t have lived experiences, emotions, or the same capacity for relatability,” she added.
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