Meta Could Let You Interact With Sassy Robot, Aliens On Facebook & Instagram

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, may be preparing to launch a series of interactive artificially intelligent chatbots on its social media platforms.

According to the Wall Street Journal, users will be given the option to speak to various “personas,” ranging from one that comes up with sassy clapbacks to another that embodies aliens from outer space.

The witty personality, dubbed internally as ‘Bob the Robot’, is said to be able to add “biting sarcasm” to its responses. It’s likely the model was based on Bender from Futurama, whose humor Meta feels “is resonating with young people.”

These quirky AI pals are just the start, with Meta reportedly looking to eventually release a feature that would allow celebrities and influencers to create their own computerized doppelgangers that could speak to fans on their behalf.

For now, users of Facebook and Instagram can look forward to chatting with Bob, ‘Alvin the Alien’ who seeks to learn more about human “experiences, thoughts, and emotions,” or ‘Gavin’—who’s said to have already insulted Mark Zuckerberg and made a sexist remark.

Will these personality-infused chatbots really get users to stay on the sites? Only time will tell.

[via Gizmodo and Futurism, cover image via Sinseeho | Dreamstime.com]