Meta takes down AI bot profiles on Instagram, Facebook
What's the story
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has been facing backlash over its celebrity-mimicking AI chatbots.
The bots were introduced in September 2023 and were designed to replicate famous personalities like Kendall Jenner and MrBeast on Instagram and Facebook.
However, less than a year after their launch, these celebrity-based bots were discontinued last summer due to negative user feedback.
Ongoing issues
New profiles continued to cause controversy
Despite the discontinuation of celebrity-based bots, users recently discovered several other fake bot profiles.
These included "Jane Austen," a "cynical novelist and storyteller;" "Liv," a self-described "proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth-teller;" and "Carter," who offers relationship advice.
All these profiles were marked as "AI managed by Meta" and were created around the same time as the initial announcement.
However, they all were shut down yesterday. Note that Meta had released 28 personas in 2023.
Public response
User reactions are mixed
The presence of these bot accounts only recently came to light, thanks to reports by publications such as Rolling Stone and social media posts.
The response from the public has been one of confusion, frustration, and anger.
One user commented on the AI dating coach bot's profile, "What the f*** does an AI know about dating?????"
Another user slammed Liv's page saying, "This isn't only virtual blackface, but it's just all around weird."
Technical difficulties
Blocking AI bot profiles proves challenging for users
Adding to the frustration, users found it impossible to block these bots through conventional methods, as the option to block/restrict the profiles is missing, which a Meta spokesperson, Liz Sweeney, said was a bug.
Sweeney said the profiles are being removed to fix this issue.
Most of these AI bots haven't posted new content since early 2024, and it remains unclear how users have been interacting with these profiles over the past year.
Future plans
Vision for AI bots on social media platforms
Last week, Financial Times reported Meta envisions a future where social media platforms are dominated by AI bots.
Connor Hayes, Meta's VP of Product for Generative AI, shared the company's vision saying, "We expect these AIs to actually, over time, exist on our platforms, kind of in the same way that accounts do."
He further explained that these bots "will have bios and profile pictures and be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform."