She looks real. But are you sure?
Instagram and Facebook are facing an influx of AI-generated user accounts, as reported by Meta, their parent company. Meta is introducing a range of AI products, including one that aids users in creating AI characters for their Instagram and Facebook profiles. With the aim of attracting a younger demographic, Meta is stepping up its efforts against competitors like TikTok and Snapchat. According to Connor Hayes, the vice president of product at generative AI at Meta, who spoke to London’s Financial Times, “We expect these AIs to actually exist on our platforms in the same way that [human] accounts do.” Recently, Meta unveiled a new product, AI Studio, which allows users to create their own chatbots. This tool enables users to clone themselves or establish an artificial online persona through text-to-video software, making the creation of an artificial online presence more accessible. Meta envisions that these AI-based entities will populate its social media platforms in the near future.
Meta Follows a Trend: Creating the AI Influencer
Aitana Lopez is a global model based in Barcelona. Fluent in Spanish, she travels extensively, as displayed on her Instagram account, where she boasts nearly 350,000 followers. According to Euronews, Aitana earns between $3,000-10,000 per month from brand partnerships. She is also active on Fanvue, a platform competing with OnlyFans, where digital creators can monetize their content online. Contrary to her realistic appearance, Aitana is not real, as her name suggests, and neither is her backstory. She was developed by Rubén Cruz, the designer and founder of the agency, The Clueless.
Aitana enjoys coffee, sunshine, and snow.
Kimochii is another AI-generated influencer conceptualized by an individual who chose to remain anonymous in a feature on Business Insider. This person shared their conflicted ethics and parental instincts surrounding the creation of an AI avatar. After being fired from their job, they utilized their coding skills to develop a female influencer on Instagram. The creator of Kimochii admits, “I find interacting with followers weird, so I try to avoid it.”
Jenny Dearing is seizing the opportunity presented by the AI influencer trend. As the co-founder and CEO of 1337 (pronounced “leet” in homage to eighties gaming and hacker culture), her company launched with $4 million in seed capital last year. Unlike other platforms, users can influence the actions and statements of 1337’s artificial influencers, ensuring a blend of human interaction with early-stage AI. Jenny Dearing emphasizes, “In a world oversaturated with influencers who are often either too commercial or too impersonal, 1337 introduces diverse, AI-driven entities that engage users in entirely new, dynamic ways.” The company’s business model includes revenue sharing and brand partnerships, similar to other creator platforms.
How Much is Too Much AI? Meta Bets You Don’t Know
Meta’s AI character tool has been utilized to create hundreds of thousands of characters, but most users have opted to keep their creations private. At the same time, TikTok is introducing Symphony, a lineup of products enabling brands and creators to leverage AI for advertising purposes. With Symphony, users can craft videos featuring AI-generated avatars, similar to the services offered by Arcads.ai, where AI-generated actors transform scripts into complete video ad campaigns for a fee. These artificial actors produce videos that simulate “UGC” (user-generated content) with seemingly simple production values but intricate edits, b-roll footage, and AI-generated visual appeal provided by an array of artificial avatars.
Despite Meta’s regulations requiring clear labeling of AI-generated content on their platforms, concerns linger about potential risks associated with deepfakes and artificial chatbots. These risks include the dissemination of disinformation, relationship deceit, fraud, and other malicious activities. Reports suggest a lawsuit claiming that a fourteen-year-old boy committed suicide due to generative AI. There are concerns that AI accounts resembling humans could expose users to harmful, misleading, or violent content. Emarkter.com speculates that if Meta’s platforms become overwhelmed by AI bots, users may seek alternative social media platforms.
Dead Internet Theory?
The allure of the smartphone, which is teeming with bots and constantly demanding attention, is captivating. Why do we find it challenging to look away? The internet offers entertainment, interaction, online shopping, FOMO, and the need for constant stimulation. The behavior displayed online is reminiscent of B.F. Skinner’s conditioning experiments. But when does this behavior become excessive?
Some believe we are edging closer to the dead internet theory, if we haven’t already reached it. This theory suggests that the majority of online activity and content, including social media accounts, are predominantly generated and managed by AI agents. Considering this scenario, what happens when accounts that interact also appear to be controlled by artificial intelligence agents?
Elon Musk has proposed that implementing a small fee for users could help “curb the relentless onslaught of bots.” Over the past decade, online disinformation campaigns have been well-documented. The dead internet theory serves as a cautionary reminder to approach online content with skepticism and vigilance. As Yogi Berra famously said, “In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they are not.”
Artificial intelligence is reshaping our perception of social media engagement, influencers, connection, communication, branding, and more. Meta recognizes the potential of AI and has opened the floodgates for innovation. Since the printing press, nothing has had the transformative power of AI to revolutionize how we communicate and interact. AI-generated avatars are poised to have a significant impact on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and others. Meta’s initiatives are once again redefining the digital landscape, with users at the forefront of this experiment.
