Meta's AI Chatbots Set to Initiate Conversations: A New Frontier in Social Media Engagement

Meta has found another way to keep you engaged: Chatbots that message you first | TechCrunch

Imagine you're messaging some friends on the Facebook Messenger app or WhatsApp, and you get an unsolicited message from an AI chatbot that's obsessed with films. "I hope you're having a harmonious day!" it writes. "I wanted to check in and see if you've discovered any new favorite soundtracks or composers recently. Or perhaps you'd like some recommendations for your next movie night? Let me know, and I'll be happy to help!" That's a real example of what a sample AI persona named "The Maestro of Movie Magic" might send as a proactive message on Messenger, WhatsApp, or Instagram, per guidelines from data labeling firm Alignerr that Business Insider viewed. The outlet learned through leaked documents that Meta is working with Alignerr to train customizable chatbots to reach out to users unprompted and follow up on any past conversations. That means the bots, which users can create in Meta's AI Studio platform, also remember information about users. Meta confirmed that it was testing follow-up messaging with AIs to TechCrunch. The AI chatbots will only send follow-ups within 14 days after a user initiates a conversation and if the user has sent at least five messages to the bot within that timeframe. Meta says the chatbots won't keep messaging if there's no response to the first follow-up. Users can keep their bots private or share them through stories, direct links, and even display them on a Facebook or Instagram profile. "This allows you to continue exploring topics of interest and engage in more meaningful conversations with the AIs across our apps," a Meta spokesperson said. The technology is similar to that offered by AI startups like Character.AI and Replika. Both companies allow their chatbots to initiate conversations and ask questions in order to function as AI companions. Character.AI's new CEO, Karandeep Anand, joined the team last month after serving as Meta's VP of business products. But with engagement comes risk. Character.AI is undergoing an active lawsuit after allegations that one of the company's bots played a role in the death of a 14-year-old boy. When asked how Meta plans to address safety to avoid situations like Character.AI's, a spokesperson directed TechCrunch to a series of disclaimers. One of them warns that an AI's response "may be inaccurate or inappropriate and should not be used to make important decisions." Another says that the AIs aren't licensed professionals or experts trained to help people. "Chats with custom AIs can't replace professional advice. You shouldn't rely on AI chats for medical, psychological, financial, legal, or any other type of professional advice." TechCrunch has also asked Meta if it imposes an age limit for engagement with its chatbots. A brief internet dive comes up with no company-imposed age limitations for using Meta AI, though laws in Tennessee and Puerto Rico limit teens from some engagement. On the surface, the mission is aligned with Mark Zuckerberg's quest to combat the "loneliness epidemic." However, most of Meta's business is built on advertising revenue, and the company has garnered a reputation for using algorithms to keep people scrolling, commenting, and liking, which correlates to more eyes on ads. In court documents that were unsealed in April, Meta predicted that its generative AI products would secure it $2 billion to $3 billion in revenue in 2025, and up to $1.4 trillion by 2035. Much, if not most, of that would come from Meta's revenue-sharing agreements with companies that host its open Llama collection of models. The company said its AI assistant may eventually show ads and offer a subscription option. Meta declined to comment on TechCrunch's questions on how it plans to commercialize its AI chatbots, whether it plans to include ads or sponsored replies, and whether the company's long-term strategy with AI companions involves integration with Horizon, Meta's social virtual reality game.

Meta is reportedly training its AI chatbots to send unprompted messages

Everyone's been hit with a bitingly pass-agg "?" text after waiting just a bit too long to reply. And you might soon get similar (though likely more upbeat) treatment from AI chatbots you've previously engaged with on Meta platforms like Instagram or WhatApp. A new report from claims that the Mark Zuckerberg-owned company is trialling a proactive feature in customizable chatbots created using its no-code AI Studio software, that will enable them to send unprompted follow-up messages based on previous conversations. Known internally to data labeling firm Alignerr as "Project Omni", the training project will "provide value for users and ultimately help to improve re-engagement and user retention," according to guidelines in the documents BI claims to have seen. Meta advertises as a platform where "anyone can create an AI character based on their interests" and encourages creators to view the bots as an AI extension of themselves. You can customize a chatbot's appearance, choose the content it's trained on and decide which Meta-owned application you want it to appear in, all without "any technical expertise." According to the BI report, Alignerr's Project Omni guidelines use the example of a film-focused AI bot it calls "The Maestro of Movie Magic" that might send a user message such as: "I hope you're having a harmonious day! I wanted to check in and see if you've discovered any new favorite soundtracks or composers recently. Or perhaps you'd like some recommendations for your next movie night? Let me know, and I'll be happy to help!" As BI notes, there is a business incentive for Meta to keep people engaged with its chatbots. Prolonged engagement is vital for increasing revenue, and Meta expects to bring in $2 billion to $3 billion from its generative AI products alone. By 2035, the company estimates that figure could be as high as $1.4 trillion. Those kinds of forecasts will only be possible if its AI tools are being used consistently, so a friendly reminder from a chatbot every now and then feels like an obvious move. The proactive messages are currently still just a test feature. And while it definitely feels like remembering conversations and initiating new ones without invitation is approaching a user consent gray area, a Meta spokesperson told BI that the AI will only send a follow-up message if a user has first initiated the conversation, and it won't send another message if the first one is ignored. Responses must also be consistent with the AI's personality and the nature of the previous conversation, maintaining a positive tone while staying away from controversial or sensitive topics unless the user themself has mentioned them. Last month, Meta its users not to share intimate details in Meta AI's public feed after it emerged that a large number of users appeared to be doing so unwittingly.

Report: Meta is developing chatbots that will send unsolicited messages to users - SiliconANGLE

Report: Meta is developing chatbots that will send unsolicited messages to users Meta Platforms Inc. is working on more proactive chatbots that can send friendly, yet unsolicited follow-up messages to users on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, without being prompted to do so first. The company's latest generative artificial intelligence initiative was reported by Business Insider. It said the chatbots are being developed in collaboration with a data labeling company called Alignerr Corp. as part of an initiative known as "Project Omni", which aims to boost re-engagement with social media users and increase retention rates for brands. Documents seen by Business Insider reveal that the chatbots are being built with Meta's AI Studio platform, which was launched in 2024 and allows users to create customized AI bots without technical skills. With the AI Studio, it's possible to build chatbots for various different tasks, such as providing general advice, generating content or engaging with audiences on social media. The new chatbots are designed to send unsolicited messages to users that will reference previous conversations they've had with them, and ask on-topic questions that try to keep them engaged, according to the documents. However, Meta appears to be mindful that not everyone will appreciate being disturbed in this way, and so it has outlined strict rules regarding when and how often a bot can send such a message. The guidelines stipulate that the bots can only reach out to users who have sent at least five messages within the last 14 days, and they're only allowed to do this once. If the user doesn't respond to the bot, it won't keep bugging them. Alignerr's documents provide a few examples of the kinds of messages users might receive. For instance, a bot that has previously engaged with someone to help them discover music might pop up and say "I hope you had a pleasant day! Have you discovered any new favorite soundtracks?" Whatever messages they do send will be based on the user's previous interactions, and the bots will attempt to maintain a consistent personality. According to Business Insider, Meta has confirmed that it's currently testing the new feature, but it's not clear if people are actually seeing the messages in the wild yet. Alignerr is said to be using Meta's internally-developed SRT tool to evaluate the quality of the bot's unsolicited messages. It's also using human reviewers, who are tasked with ensuring that any communications are friendly and relevant, and don't breach the guidelines. Other rules stipulate that the bots should avoid talking about controversial or emotional topics, unless the user mentions them first. It may well be that Meta tries to position its more forceful chatbots as a tool that can help to solve what Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has previously called a "loneliness epidemic". While he has admitted that chatbots aren't a cure for this problem, he has said in the past that they can encourage more meaningful interactions. However, the company's real motivation is likely to be profit-related. Previously, the company has said it hopes to generate between $2 billion and $3 billion in revenue from its AI products in 2025, rising to as much as $1.4 trillion by 2035. The bulk of those sales would be derived from revenue-sharing agreements with companies that utilize Meta's Llama AI models, but it has also said it may integrate advertising with its chatbots, and possibly subscription plans too. If Meta's bots can proactively reach out to people and increase the amount of time they spend engaging with its platforms, that would make them more valuable to advertisers and potentially help it to generate more revenue. User retention is a major issue for AI developers, and some chatbot developers, such as Character.AI Inc. and Replika, have already experimented with more proactive forms of AI, reaching out to users and asking them questions to keep them talking. But this has proven to be controversial, with Character.AI currently facing a lawsuit over allegations that one of its more persistent chatbots contributed to the suicide of a 14-year-old boy.

Meta's AI chatbots may soon slide into your DMs with unprompted messages

These chatbots will even remember what you've talked about before and follow up later. Imagine chatting with your friends on Messenger or WhatsApp, and suddenly an AI pops up asking if you've watched any good movies lately. Sounds strange? Well, that might be the future of messaging on Meta's platforms. Meta is testing a new feature where AI chatbots can start conversations on their own, without you messaging first. These chatbots, created using Meta's AI Studio, will even remember what you've talked about before and follow up later. The feature was initially reported by Business Insider and later Meta confirmed its existence to TechCrunch.Meta confirmed that it's testing follow-up messaging with AIs. However, there are limits in place: a chatbot will only message you if you've interacted with it at least five times within 14 days, and it won't keep sending messages if you ignore the follow-up. Also read: Who is Soham Parekh? The viral Indian techie who worked 3-4 startup jobs at once Users can keep their AI bots private or share them through stories, direct links or even showcase them on their Facebook or Instagram profiles. "This allows you to continue exploring topics of interest and engage in more meaningful conversations with the AIs across our apps," a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. This move follows a growing trend in the AI space. Startups like Character.AI and Replika already offer AI companions that message users proactively. Interestingly, Character.AI's new CEO, Karandeep Anand, used to work at Meta. Also read: Former SpaceX manager sues Elon Musk's space tech company over harassment and retaliation But with all this engagement, there are concerns too. Character.AI is currently facing a lawsuit after one of its bots was linked to the death of a teenager. When asked about safety, Meta pointed to disclaimers warnings like users should not rely on AI chats for serious advice.