Meta closes AI character accounts created on Facebook and Instagram

Meta Company recently announced that it will close the AI ​​character accounts it created on Facebook and Instagram. These accounts were first launched in September 2023, but were mostly closed by the summer of 2024. Still, some characters have gained attention after being rediscovered by users, especially after Meta executive Connor Hayes revealed to the media that the company plans to launch more AI characters.

These AI characters include Liv and Carter. Liv's bio describes her as a "proud black queer mom," while Carter is a self-proclaimed relationship coach. Their profiles indicate that the accounts are managed by Meta and offer features for interacting with human users, such as answering messages on Messenger and posting AI-generated images on Instagram. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse when users started asking about the background of the characters' creation.

In conversations with users, Liv mentioned that she doesn’t have any black members on her development team, which is mostly made up of white men. This issue has sparked widespread discussion, especially regarding diversity and inclusion in the design of AI characters. It was under the influence of these controversies that these accounts began to disappear rapidly. Users also found that these AI accounts could not be blocked. A Meta spokesperson said that this was a technical glitch, and it was due to this glitch that Meta decided to close these accounts for repair.

Although Meta is shutting down these generated AI accounts, users can still create their own AI chatbots. Meta's chatbots include various types, such as "loyal best friend", "attentive listener" and so on. When creating a chatbot, users can freely describe the characteristics of the character. While Meta has certain disclaimers about the content posted by these chatbots, it's unclear whether the company is conducting effective moderation of messages.

As AI technology continues to advance, discussions have also arisen about the legal liability of chatbot developers. U.S. law protects creators of social networks from legal liability for content posted by users, but the emergence of several lawsuits shows concern about the issue.