Imagine receiving a message out of the blue from an AI on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp: “Hope you’re having a great day! Have you discovered any new favorite movie soundtracks? Maybe you’d like some recommendations for your movie night?”
While this might feel artificial and strange, Meta’s AI characters are soon poised to initiate conversations with you across all their integrated applications, starting with WhatsApp. Meta has begun training some of its chatbot AI to proactively engage with users, even without an initial prompt from the user.
Meta is collaborating with Alignerr, a data labeling firm, for this system. The goal is to create personalized chatbots that remember your interests and message you accordingly. Currently, these bots can only re-engage with users if they’ve initiated a conversation within the past 14 days and exchanged at least five messages. If a user doesn’t respond to the initial messages, the bots will not persist. A Meta official stated that this feature will allow users to have more “meaningful conversations,” though this concept might be unsettling to some, as these bots remember your past interactions.
Safety and Legality Concerns
Features like these aren’t entirely new. AI applications such as Character.AI and Replika have aimed for continuous user interaction and implemented similar functionalities. However, the direct integration of these features into the frequently used accounts and applications of your daily life makes this a different ballgame.
Of course, there are inherent risks. For instance, Character.AI is currently facing a lawsuit alleging that an AI bot contributed to the death of a 14-year-old child. When asked about safety measures, Meta continues to advise users against relying too heavily on AI recommendations.
The age restriction aspect remains somewhat unclear. Meta is not currently enforcing any age limits for using its AI bots. This means that even underage WhatsApp users could be directly exposed to this feature.
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