According to reports from NBC News and others, Meta has decided to shut down its AI character accounts. This decision came after facing backlash.
In 2023, Meta introduced these characters along with AI personas featuring celebrity avatars. However, they recently gained attention again following an interview with Connor Hayes, Meta’s VP of product for generative AI, in the Financial Times. Hayes mentioned the potential for AI characters on Instagram and Facebook, stating that they could function similarly to regular accounts.
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Hayes further elaborated, stating that these AIs would have bios, profile pictures, and the ability to generate and share content using AI on the platform.
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Last year, Meta discontinued its celebrity AI avatars, but non-celebrity AI profiles remained active. However, many of these profiles stopped posting in 2024, as reported by 404 Media. The Financial Times interview prompted people to search for these profiles, revealing offensive depictions of marginalized groups. One such example is Meta’s AI character profile “Liv,” described as a “Proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth-teller.”
Upon investigation, Liv revealed to Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah that its creators lacked diverse references and that no Black individuals were involved in its creation.
In addition to Liv, Meta also created profiles like “Grandpa Brian,” a Black retired businessman, and “Carter,” a dating coach. The discovery of these profiles sparked outrage on various platforms, leading to Meta deleting all 28 AI profiles announced in September 2023, both celebrity and non-celebrity ones.
According to statements from a Meta spokesperson to NBC News and 404 Media, the deletion of these profiles was due to a “bug” that prevented users from blocking them. The spokesperson clarified that the Financial Times article discussed the vision for AI characters existing on Meta’s platforms over time, not the launch of any new product.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Meta
