Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Thursday that the company will start testing user-created AI chatbots on Instagram. The tests, which will begin in the U.S., aim to introduce AI characters made by creators through Meta AI studio.
Zuckerberg revealed the initiative on his broadcast channel, emphasizing that these chatbots will be clearly marked as AI. “Rolling out an early test in the U.S. of our AI studio so you might start seeing Instagram AI chatbots from your favorite creators and interest-based AIs in the coming weeks. These will primarily show up in messaging for now and will be clearly labeled as AI,” he said.
The announcement coincides with the launch of a16z-backed Character.AI’s new feature that allows users to talk with AI avatars over a call. Zuckerberg highlighted the collaboration with creators like the meme account Wasted and technology creator Don Allen Stevenson III to develop early versions of these Instagram AI bots.
In an interview shared on his social channels, Zuckerberg elaborated on the potential uses for AI avatars. He mentioned the need for diverse APIs to cater to different interests and noted that enabling creators and small businesses to build their own Instagram AI chatbots would help them interact with their community and customers.
Zuckerberg also addressed the challenge of perfecting AI avatars, calling it an evolving “art form.” He said, “I don’t think we know going into this what is going to be the most engaging and entertaining and trust-building formula for this. So we want to give people tools so that you can experiment with this and see what ends up working well.”
Meta will initially test the feature with around 50 creators and a small percentage of users, planning to expand it to more users over the next few months. The goal is to have the feature fully launched by August.
Meta first introduced its AI studio last year at its developer conference, aiming to enable businesses to build custom chatbots. This new development on Instagram represents a significant step in Meta’s efforts to integrate AI technology into its social media platforms.
