Google is making waves with reports indicating its development of AI-powered chatbots based on celebrities and YouTube influencers. While the concept isn’t entirely novel, with startups like Character.ai and companies like Meta already delving into similar products, Google’s foray into this territory represents a significant move in the field of AI, particularly with the inclusion of YouTube influencers.
According to The Information, Google’s celebrity chatbots will leverage the company’s Gemini family of large language models. The company aims to establish partnerships with influencers and celebrities, including popular figures from YouTube, while also exploring a feature that enables users to create their own chatbots by describing their personalities and appearance—a concept already implemented by Character.ai. Notably, Noam Shazeer, a co-founder of Character.ai and a former Google engineer, played a pivotal role in the development of “transformers,” a fundamental technology that underpins today’s generative AI.
While the specific celebrities or influencers to be partnered with by Google remain undisclosed, Meta’s existing chatbots are based on personalities such as TikTok star Charli D’Amelio, YouTube phenomenon Mr. Beast, Snoop Dogg, Tom Brady, and Paris Hilton, among others. In contrast, Character.ai’s repertoire includes politicians, philosophers, fictional characters, and even inanimate objects like a talking block of cheese. Spearheading Google’s project is Ryan Germick, a longstanding executive known for his work on Google Doodles, supported by a team of ten.
However, the future of Google’s chatbots remains somewhat uncertain, as reports suggest that they might be confined to Google Labs—an experimental products platform—rather than being widely accessible. The rationale behind Google’s pursuit of AI chatbots based on celebrities and influencers remains unclear, especially considering Meta’s experience with such chatbots failing to gain significant traction despite being integrated into various products. For instance, Meta’s chatbot featuring Snoop Dogg has only amassed 15,000 followers on Instagram, a stark contrast to the human rapper’s 87.5 million followers.
This development by Google also brings into focus its existing Google AI chatbot initiatives, where the integration of AI chatbots with the personas of YouTube influencers could provide a unique interactive experience for users. As Google’s developments in this area unfold, it remains to be seen how the company’s AI chatbots will fare and whether they will effectively engage audiences in a manner that sets them apart from existing initiatives in the field.
This move by Google also raises questions about the potential impact of AI chatbots on the entertainment and marketing industries, as well as the broader implications for human interactions with digital personas. The convergence of AI technology with the personas of celebrities and influencers, especially YouTube influencers, could redefine the way audiences engage with their favorite personalities, presenting both opportunities and challenges for privacy, authenticity, and ethical considerations in the digital realm. As Google’s venture progresses, it is likely to spark further discussions about the evolving landscape of AI-driven interactions and the boundaries between virtual and human experiences.
