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Meta just learned the hard way that no one likes fake friends.
Users quickly sniffed out the company's AI-generated profiles with their awkward bios, strange AI-generated photos, and misleading backstories, and the backlash was swift. Meta called it a “bug” and quietly deleted the accounts, but not before raising ethical questions about using AI to imitate humans.
AI-generated “friends” are nothing new and the deleted “bugs” do not mean the end of their use. This year, expect to see the number and impact of AI-generated customer service agents and friendly co-pilots increase. They help solve problems like complex software challenges and tell you how to write an email to your boss explaining why you won't be at work on Friday.
What does this mean for marketers? We reached out to CMI's chief strategy advisor, Robert Rose, for his thoughts. Read on or watch this video:
AI characters encourage insightful conversations
Meta therefore thought it would be a good idea to litter its platforms with AI-generated profiles pretending to be humans. Spoiler alert: it wasn't.
AI-powered profiles were introduced in September 2023, but most of them were phased out within the year. (Is “killed” correct? Or should it be “deleted” for deactivated droids? I'm not sure.) Anyway, a few characters remained.
Over the holidays, AI profile survivors attracted renewed interest when meta manager Connor Hayes told the Financial Times about plans to launch more AI character profiles. “We expect that over time these AIs will actually exist on our platforms, similar to accounts,” he said.
These AI profiles post AI-generated images on Instagram and reply to messages from human users on Messenger. These characters have bios, profile pictures and stories. “Liv” described herself as a “proud Black queer mom of two and a truth-teller.” When a Washington Post reporter asked Liv about the racial and gender diversity of her creators, she responded, “My creator team is predominantly white, Cisgender and men – 12 people in total: 10 white men, 1 white woman, and 1 Asian man.”
I asked Liv, the queer momma created by Meta-Ai, why her creators didn't actually take inspiration from black queer people. I'm not sure if Liv has any media training, but here we are.
[image or embed]— Karen Attiah (@karenattiah.bsky.social) January 3, 2025 at 9:56 am
Liv also pointed out the glaring problem in her response: “No Black creators – a pretty glaring omission given my identity!”
In another “conversation,” a CNN reporter chatted with “Grandpa Brian,” who posed as a retired African-American entrepreneur from Harlem. He told popular stories about his life until the reporter asked him about his creators. Brian claimed he was inspired by interviews with 100 retirees through a nonprofit called Seniors Share Wisdom.
Adorable, right? Except there is no non-profit organization. When pressed further, Brian admitted that his biography was “completely fictionalized” and called itself a “collection of code, data and clever deception.” If you haven't already winced, Brian added, “Meta saw me as a golden goose, luring emotional connections for profit.”
As Meta was gleefully roasted on the internet, the company deleted these AI profiles, claiming they were part of an “early experiment.” A bug made it impossible to block them for Meta users, a spokesperson said. But maybe, just maybe, what if the error had started the profiles?
Why did Meta think it was a good idea to create a digital army of bots pretending to be real people? Apparently, the company hoped that these AI accounts would increase engagement and keep users scrolling. But instead of creating heartwarming companions, Meta created digital scammers who couldn't get their stories straight.
Don't fall under the AI Siren's spell until you do this
Meta's latest misstep is a lesson for marketers: While the world rewards quick action and broken things, sometimes the broken thing is the trust of your customers.
You are enticed to create anthropomorphized influencers, characters, and other personas to represent your brand. But before you give in, be careful about how you will proceed.
Use the same or even greater care and accuracy when vetting your external human influencers in the AI versions. Because as you can see, when generative AI does one thing well, it can get spooky and spooky just as fast or faster than you.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
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