Meta to Launch "Sassy" AI Chatbots to Woo Young Users
Meta, the parent company of popular platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, is gearing up to launch a set of innovative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots that come with distinctive personalities aimed at capturing the attention of younger users. This move is part of Meta”s broader strategy to boost user engagement and establish a strong presence in the ever-evolving AI landscape.
According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, Meta is currently conducting internal testing of these AI chatbots and plans to unveil them at the upcoming Meta Connect conference, scheduled to commence this week. While the primary objective is to enhance user engagement, some of these AI bots are expected to possess productivity- skills, potentially assisting users with tasks such as coding.
Meta”s strategy involves the creation of several AI personality chatbots, and they are also working on a product that will enable celebrities and content creators to utilise their own AI chatbots to interact with their fans. Among these chatbots, one notable personality is “Bob the robot,” who is designed to have a sassy and humorous demeanor reminiscent of Bender from the popular animated series “Futurama.” Internal documents describe Bob as having a “superior intellect, sharp wit, and biting sarcasm.”
Meta has been actively making strides in the AI field, particularly in recent months. In August, the company introduced a new process called Shepherd, aimed at tackling the issue of inaccurate information spread by generative AI systems. Shepherd LLM (Large Language Model) is designed to analyse responses generated by other language models, provide suggestions, and refine them. Meta”s approach emphasises the importance of a high-quality feedback dataset curated from community input and human annotations. Despite its smaller size compared to some other models (7B parameters), Shepherd”s critiques have demonstrated comparable or superior performance when evaluated against competitive alternatives. In human evaluations, Shepherd consistently outperforms other models and closely matches the performance of ChatGPT.
Meta”s foray into the world of AI chatbots with distinct personalities represents a strategic move to engage younger users and stay competitive in the AI race. With plans to enable celebrities and creators to harness these AI tools, Meta is diversifying its offerings and positioning itself at the forefront of AI-driven interactions. This initiative aligns with Meta”s ongoing efforts to address issues to misinformation and enhance user experiences through innovative AI technologies.
