Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META), has ambitious plans to retain and engage users on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
What Happened: With over four billion social media users, Meta faces growing competition from emerging platforms like TikTok. As a result, the company has decided to turn to AI technology to enhance user engagement and ensure its platforms remain relevant and appealing to users.
The Zuckerberg-led company plans to launch a range of AI-powered chatbots to boost engagement with its social media platforms.
The upcoming AI-powered chatbots, internally called "personas," promise to introduce unique personalities and human-like conversations to Meta's social media platforms, reported Financial Times, citing people with knowledge of the plans.
From historical figures like Abraham Lincoln to casual and laid-back personas like a surfer, these chatbots aim to offer users diverse and entertaining interactions. Moreover, the anticipated launch of these chatbots is just around the corner, with sources hinting at a potential release in September.
Besides improving engagement, introducing AI chatbots also opens up new avenues for data collection. By interacting with these chatbots, users will likely expose more of their data, enabling Meta to gain deeper insights into their interests, the report noted.
Considering that a significant portion of Meta's revenue comes from advertising, these AI chatbots hold the potential to play a crucial role in the company's advertising strategies. It also raises valid concerns about user privacy and the potential misuse of personal information.
Why It's Important: Last year, Meta reported a decline of 0.5 million Facebook daily active users marking its first-ever quarterly decline, indicating a global saturation. Facebook has also launched Reels to compete with TikTok's short-form video clips and its own Instagram.