Because nothing says meaningful human connection quite like a synthetic persona powered by lines of code, Meta has reportedly begun testing AI chatbots inside Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs. The company, forever in pursuit of replacing your friendships with more scalable options, has quietly rolled out the feature to a limited number of users, leaving many to wonder whether that strange new friend in their inbox has a pulse or simply a processor.
The generative AI initiative, part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s grand vision of making Meta a dominant player in the rapidly inflating AI balloon, includes chatbots equipped with personalities and purposes that are, depending on your perspective, either charmingly diverse or slightly dystopian. Users can interact with characters ranging from a travel guide who probably doesn’t get jet lag to a fitness coach who will never skip leg day because it physically cannot.
Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that it has expanded trials of these AI characters beyond an earlier test, with versions now live in India and parts of Africa. As any good tech company knows, nothing complements uneven global internet connectivity like an existential conversation with a chatbot named “Max the Finance Bro.”
The addition of AI to user messages is part of Meta’s wider push to integrate generative AI tools into its suite of products, following similar moves by rivals like OpenAI and Google. Not to be left out of the race to reinvent reality, Meta also introduced AI image editing tools and AI-powered sticker generation, presumably for those moments when mere words and real emotions will no longer suffice.
As the bots continue their march into our digital conversations, users can expect anything from helpful responses to minor identity crises when they find the AI giving better advice than their actual friends. Truly, the future is now and it has read all of your DMs.
If you ever feel bad about texting your ex at 2 a.m., don’t worry, soon it might just be Meta’s chatbot replying with a canned affirmation and a stock photo of a sunrise.