META recently announced an interactive AI studio enabling influencers and creators to create an AI-generated version of themselves on the Instagram messaging App.
The AI chatbot can answer fans’ questions per that account.
However, this development might take time to be available on the African continent as it’s currently in the testing stage for those creators in the US. Thus, at this moment we can’t really tell how impactful it is.
As shown above, The AI bot will have a star icon on the message tab, signaling that this is a bot response stream. Disclaimer notes in the chat will also explain that you’re engaging with an AI bot.
But the question still arises: Will engaging with an AI version of an influencer build or destroy trust in an online community.
In an interview with YouTuber Kane Sutter, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the AI studio on Meta will enable creators’ accounts to create personas for AI versions of themselves, enabling them to interact with all the DMS from the community.
“If you look at Instagram, DMs are one of the fastest growing parts of the systems; that’s part of what I’m excited about here in AI studio where we are making it so that people can be able to craft a persona for the AI version of themselves that going to help them interact with all the incoming DM so that your community is sending you,” he said.
“Every creator would love to engage with all their fans; it’s just that they don’t have time, “Zuckerberg added.
According to Zuckerberg, creators will be free to train their bots on different aspects of their social media presence, which should enable them to generate more lifelike replicas.
But again, “Why?” Why would people want to engage with a bot that sounds like a person on a profile when they’re not engaging with a human?
Here at Social Insights, this might sound like an exciting development, but we still think it takes away the core objective of the human side of social media engagement.
As META’s core mission is to Bring the planet closer together, does the AI functionality on Instagram DMs diminish human interactivity?
Let us know what you think.
Artificial intelligence is a relatively new topic in Africa, with thousands of divergent voices emerging daily. Still, the Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Africa recently organized a Forum on Artificial Intelligence in Rabat in partnership with UNESCO.
The objectives were to Evaluate the state of AI in Africa, Adapt AI governance to African priorities, Develop a common strategy for AI, Strengthen capacities in the public and private sectors, as well as among youth and women, and Foster collaborations between African and global AI centers.
Though at a slow pace, we still believe Africa will adapt to these new technological advancements to drive and unlock economic growth.
*Disclaimer:While most Social Media platform advancements take time to enroll in the African continent, Social Insights believes it is essential for the African audience to be informed of the latest news updates and trends about all the platforms. Over time, users globally will have an equal user experience across platforms.
