Recall the Meta AI celebrity avatars? They’re being discontinued.
Meta AI’s Celebrity Avatars: A Short-Lived Experiment
The End of Celebrity AI Characters
Meta’s venture into creating AI avatars of celebrities has come to an abrupt end, just months after their initial launch. According to reports by The Information, the social media giant has decided to discontinue its AI chatbots modeled after famous personalities such as Kendall Jenner, Snoop Dogg, and Tom Brady. This decision was confirmed by Meta representatives, who stated that users can no longer interact with these AI characters. Although the company did not provide specific reasons for this move, it seems the feature failed to capture the interest of users.
User Interest Lacked
Despite the star power of the personalities involved, the AI counterparts did not find a significant following. For instance, Snoop Dogg’s AI avatar, which was designed as a Dungeon Master for users to enjoy Dungeons and Dragons, only attracted about 15,000 followers. In stark contrast, Snoop Dogg’s actual Instagram account boasts a staggering 88.4 million followers. Similarly, Kendall Jenner’s AI character, intended to be a "ride-or-die older sister," had around 179,000 followers; a small fraction of her 292 million followers on social media.
Meta’s AI Learning Experience
Meta acknowledged that the development of these AI personas was a learning experience. A spokesperson mentioned that the company gathered valuable insights on how people prefer to interact with AIs. The experiment elucidated the challenges of successfully launching consumer-friendly generative AI applications that resonate with users.
Challenges with Consumer AI Engagement
The journey to roll out engaging AI features for consumers has not been smooth for several tech giants, including Google and Meta. Meta’s integration of an AI search bar in its platforms—Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger—has even been criticized by users as a disruptive addition to the previous search experience. Similarly, AI-generated search summaries from Google experienced their share of issues, receiving backlash for being either frustratingly intrusive or factually incorrect.
Monetary Investment in Celebrity Avatars
Reports suggest that Meta invested substantially in these celebrity avatars, with celebrities receiving contracts worth up to $5 million over two years for the use of their likenesses. However, the confusing concept introduced at the launch event last September didn’t seem to facilitate meaningful engagement from the audience. The program’s financial aspects remain unaddressed as Meta declined to provide further commentary.
Mixed Identity of AI Personas
The AI chatbots did not function in a manner that truly mimicked their real-life counterparts. For example, Padma Lakshmi’s AI representation was a "travel expert" named Lorena, which didn’t align with her actual persona in any significant way. Currently, links to these AI identities on Instagram lead users to pages marked as unavailable.
New Directions for Meta
In light of the discontinuation of celebrity avatars, Meta is redirecting its focus towards a different approach in generative AI. The latest initiative, AI Studio, will enable users to create AI versions of themselves, resembling existing platforms like Character.ai. This shift aims to let creators interact with their AI duplicates while ensuring users are aware of the AI nature of these interactions. Moreover, Meta is introducing AI tools for advertisers, allowing them to automate the creation of images and ad copy.
Although the celebrity AI personas may have been short-lived, Meta’s commitment to exploring generative AI technologies continues as it seeks to integrate these features more meaningfully into its platforms.
