Global: Meta Aims to Attract Younger Users with AI Chatbots

Meta is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) in an effort to engage younger users.

The social media giant is reportedly set to introduce new AI chatbots with unique personalities across its apps, possibly within the coming week, as sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

These AI chatbots are currently undergoing in-house testing at Meta, and the company is expected to unveil the first of these chatbots at its upcoming Meta Connect conference. The primary objective is to capture the interest of younger consumers.

According to WSJ sources, Meta’s plan includes creating numerous AI personality chatbots. Additionally, the company has developed a product that would enable celebrities and content creators to employ their own AI chatbots for fan interactions.

Among the AI personalities in development, one is known as “Bob the robot,” described in internal company documents as a “sass master general” with “superior intellect, sharp wit, and biting sarcasm.”

As WSJ noted, targeting younger consumers has been a priority for Meta, particularly as teenagers have increasingly turned to TikTok rather than Instagram.

Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, acknowledged this shift two years ago, stating, “We are retooling our teams to make serving young adults their North Star, rather than optimizing for the larger number of older people.” He further emphasized that this shift may lead to some trade-offs in the product and slower growth for the broader community but should result in stronger services for young adults.

While Gen Z acknowledges AI’s ability to replace certain skills, they also express substantial interest in AI-augmented work. In general, young consumers, those with incomes exceeding $100,000, and those in office environments are most aware of AI’s potential.

In a separate report earlier this month, WSJ mentioned that Meta is developing a new AI system to compete with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. The company aims to launch this new AI system next year, surpassing the capabilities of its previously introduced Llama 2 AI model.