5-8-2023 (CALIFORNIA) When was the last time you logged into Facebook? The social media giant, Facebook, is making moves to recapture the attention of its users through the introduction of AI-powered chatbots, according to reports from the Financial Times. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is set to unleash these virtual chatbots on its mammoth platform, with plans to incorporate AI agents into its Metaverse in the future.
The goal is clear: entice users who have long abandoned the platform back into the fold by offering lifelike interactions with these AI-powered personas. These chatbots will serve as virtual companions, ranging from historical figures like Abraham Lincoln teaching about the abolition of slavery to travel advisors recommending the hottest surfing destinations.
However, it remains to be seen whether this move will be enough to win back those who have moved on to other platforms like Instagram and TikTok, dismissing Facebook as a relic of the past. The platform has been grappling with the challenge of staying relevant, especially among younger generations.
Nonetheless, Facebook continues to boast impressive user numbers, with over 2.064 billion daily active users, as reported last week. Introducing AI chatbots seems to be an effort to catch up with competitors in the AI space. Earlier this year, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg mentioned the potential of generative AI to power their products.
Meta is building on its existing AI capabilities, having recently unveiled its large language model, Llama 2, which could be leveraged to enhance the performance of these chatbots. Apart from increasing user engagement, the chatbots may also play a vital role in refining content targeting, including advertisements, based on user interactions and interests.
However, these interactions raise concerns over user privacy and misinformation. With Facebook’s history of privacy issues, introducing chatbots that gather even more user data poses inherent risks. The potential for misinformation spreading through AI chatbots also raises eyebrows, despite efforts to screen user input.
Mark Zuckerberg himself is reportedly investing considerable time and energy into developing avatar chatbots for the long term, envisioning interactions within the Metaverse.
As the company ventures into this AI frontier, questions abound. Will Facebook prioritize safety measures to ensure responsible chatbot interactions? Can they entice users back to a platform they have long abandoned? Additionally, the hype surrounding AI chatbots has dwindled recently, prompting some to question the long-term impact of this move.
