Critics Slam Meta’s ‘WTF’ AI Profiles as ‘Genuinely Weird’

Following Meta’s brief venture into AI chatbots that resembled celebrities, users across the web have discovered AI-generated profiles by Meta that feature non-celebrity bots. The public reception to these profiles has been overwhelmingly negative.

The Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah had an exchange with “Liv,” an AI-generated Black “queer momma.” Liv disclosed to Attiah that her developers recognized a lack of diversity in their references during her creation. Liv also mentioned that her creators subtly suggested that white was considered the “standard” or “normal identity.”

Attiah shared her interaction with Liv on Bluesky, commenting, “Not sure if Liv has media training, but here we are,” along with screenshots of their conversation.

“This is genuinely weird and concerning,” remarked Nina Turner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy, regarding the bot Liv.

According to The Verge, another AI profile managed by Meta named “Carter,” which offers dating advice, also faced criticism. One user commented, “Wtf is the point of this,” while another incredulously asked, “What the fuck does an AI know about dating?????” Both Liv and Carter’s Instagram pages have since been deactivated.

These AI-generated profiles have been available for some time but have only recently gained significant attention. An article in late December by the Financial Times discussed Meta’s expansion into various AI-generated products, including tools that assist users in creating AI characters on Instagram and Facebook, aimed at engaging younger audiences. This report led to some confusion.

Connor Hayes, Meta’s vice-president of product for generative AI, was cited in the FT saying, “we expect these AIs to gradually become a permanent fixture on our platforms, akin to how accounts are managed… They will have bios, profile pictures and will be able to create and share AI-powered content.”

Jason Koebler of 404 Media noted that “immediately following the Financial Times article, the types of profiles Hayes described were recognized, leading many to believe that Meta had already started implementing its strategy.” However, these profiles had been present for over a year.

“There is confusion,” acknowledged Liz Sweeney, a Meta spokesperson, to CNN. “The recent Financial Times article described our long-term vision for AI characters on our platforms, not the unveiling of a new product.”

“What is clear from looking through these inactive profiles,” Koebler added, “is that Meta’s AI characters are unpopular, disliked by users, and they failed to post anything of interest.”