THE GUARDIAN: Meta is killing off its own AI-powered Instagram and Facebook profiles

Instagram profile of ‘proud Black queer momma’, created by Meta, said her development team included no Black people.

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While these Meta-generated accounts are being removed, users still have the ability to generate their own AI chatbots. User-generated chatbots that were promoted to the Guardian in November included a “therapist” bot.

Upon opening the conversation with the “therapist”, the bot suggested some questions to ask to get started including “what can I expect from our sessions?” and “what’s your approach to therapy”.

“Through gentle guidance and support, I help clients develop self-awareness, identify patterns and strengths and cultivate coping strategies to navigate life’s challenges,” the bot, created by an account with 96 followers and 1 post, said in response.

Meta includes a disclaimer on all its chatbots that some messages may be “inaccurate or inappropriate”. But whether the company is moderating these messages or ensuring they are not violating policies is not immediately clear. When a user creates chatbots, Meta makes a few suggestions of types of chatbots to develop including a “loyal bestie”, an “attentive listener”, a “private tutor”, a “relationship coach”, a “sounding board” and an “all-seeing astrologist”. A loyal bestie is described as a “humble and loyal best friend who consistently shows up to support you behind the scenes”. A relationship coach chatbot can help bridge “gaps between individuals and communities”. Users can also create their own chatbots by describing a character.

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