Meta has removed a large number of AI-generated virtual profiles from Facebook and Instagram, which had been the cause of controversy and criticism for some time. The company launched these profiles in September 2023, but it was decided to remove them due to their poor performance and negative user experience. However, Meta remains firm on its intention to promote AI content.
Meta has recently removed virtual profiles being run under “AI managed by Meta” from Facebook and Instagram. The decision was taken after these profiles led to widespread mockery and criticism on social media.
Launched in September 2023, these AI profiles were introduced with celebrity AI chatbots. However, these accounts had not been updated for months. Recently, the Financial Times interviewed Meta’s generative AI vice president, Connor Hayes, which brought renewed attention to these profiles.
Hayes said in the interview that the company’s goal was to create AI accounts that could interact with people like normal users. But users strongly criticized these profiles, calling them “spam.”
Users’ response:
The names of these virtual accounts, such as “hellograndpabrian” (retired textile businessman) and “datingwithCarter” (dating coach), were designed to show off their user-friendly personalities. But the posts made from them were not only unrealistic but unnecessary. Users say these posts resemble the spam messages already present on social media.
The future of Meta’s AI projects:
Meta, however, has not abandoned its plans to promote AI-generated content. Earlier this year, the company demonstrated an AI clone that can make realistic video calls and allows creators to train their own AI chatbots. Meta is also working on a feature to add AI-generated images to the Facebook feed.
Hayes said that Meta will gradually promote AI content in the same way that social media shifted from friend updates to content recommendations. He also said that in the future, AI and user-generated content will be presented together.
Criticism and way forward:
Users’ criticism of Meta’s new technology has made it clear that the adoption of AI profiles will take a long time. Meta will need to improve its strategy to win the trust of users and create more useful virtual profiles.
With the increasing use of AI content, many experts say that companies should take special care of users’ privacy and data security. After the consumers’ feedback on the AI profiles, Meta’s future projects are showing signs of improvement. Other tech companies, such as Google and OpenAI, are also working on bringing better user experience to AI technology.
Experts Opinion:
Creative and business tasks can be made easier through AI, but its success depends on the user experience. Meta has to understand that users’ priority is not only technical innovation, but also its practical and ethical aspects.
