Meta unveils AI chatbots with voices of John Cena, Judi Dench, and Awkwafina at Connect 2024

[Innovabble]

 

Meta unveiled its latest artificial intelligence advancements at the highly anticipated Meta Connect 2024 event, showcasing a bold leap forward in AI-human interaction. One of the highlights was the introduction of AI chatbots that speak using the voices of well-known celebrities, a move that signals Meta’s commitment to making AI more natural and engaging for users.

 

During a live demonstration, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg presented AI chatbots mimicking the voices of celebrities like John Cena, Dame Judi Dench, Awkwafina, Kristen Bell, and Keegan-Michael Key. He emphasized how voice interactions could significantly enhance the AI experience, stating, “Voice is going to be a way more natural way of interacting with AI than text. It is just a lot better.” This strategic use of celebrity voices is designed to humanize AI and make it more relatable, providing users with a familiar and personalized interaction.

 

The celebrity-voiced chatbots are more than just a novelty—they’re part of Meta’s strategy to stay competitive in the evolving AI landscape. By integrating these voices across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, Meta aims to keep pace with rivals like ChatGPT, which recently launched its own voice feature. Initially, these celebrity voices will be available only to U.S. users, alongside other voices.

 

 

In addition, Meta AI now offers photo-related features in chats. You can share a photo with Meta AI, and it can identify objects, like a flower on a hike, or offer instructions, such as how to cook a dish you’ve photographed. Need help editing? Just ask Meta AI to adjust your photos—whether it's changing your outfit or replacing the background with something like a rainbow.

 

 

While the possibilities are exciting, they also bring a new set of challenges. A significant concern raised by this innovation involves ethical considerations around consent, compensation, and potential misuse of AI-generated voices. A recent incident involving Scarlett Johansson and OpenAI brought attention to these issues, highlighting the need for clearer regulations and protections when replicating someone’s voice or likeness in the digital realm.

 

In response, Meta has taken steps to address these challenges by reportedly paying millions to secure the rights to use these celebrity voices, reflecting the company’s dedication to staying ahead in the AI race while respecting intellectual property laws. This investment raises the bar for competitors, urging them to consider ethical standards as they develop their own AI tools. Notably, Amazon experimented with celebrity voices like Samuel L. Jackson and Melissa McCarthy for Alexa but eventually discontinued the feature.

In addition to voice technology, Meta has revealed plans to enhance its AI capabilities in other creative ways. For instance, social media influencers will soon be able to create AI versions of themselves for more interactive experiences with their followers. Previously limited to text-based conversations, users can now have quasi-video calls with AI versions of influencers.

 

In addition, Meta is rolling out a feature to auto-translate and dub foreign-language Reels, seamlessly converting content into viewers’ native languages while adjusting the speaker’s mouth movements for a more natural appearance.

 

The company also plans to introduce "imagined for you," a feature that will populate users' Facebook and Instagram feeds with AI-created images tailored to their individual interests and current trends. This ambitious move blurs the line between human-created and AI-generated content, potentially reshaping the social media landscape. However, it raises questions about user preference and control, as it's not yet clear whether users will have the option to opt out of viewing this AI-generated content in favor of posts exclusively from their human connections.

 

The unveiling of these AI advancements coincided with other exciting announcements at Meta Connect 2024, including the introduction of Orion AR glasses, the Quest 3S headset, and updates to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Together, these innovations demonstrate Meta’s determination to push technological boundaries and redefine user experiences across its platforms.

 

As AI technology evolves, Meta's latest developments showcase its transformative potential while raising important ethical and privacy concerns. Are you excited for this new era of AI-enhanced social media?

 

• https://about.fb.com/news/2024/09/metas-ai-product-news-connect/
• https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6258zn1663o
• https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/25/tech/meta-ai-celebrities-chatbots/index.html
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/09/25/meta-ai-voice-actors-celebrities-john-cena-judi-dench/
• https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/meta-celebrity-voices-ai-chatbot-john-cena-awkwafina-keegan-michael-key-1236011796/

 

Images: Meta