Instagram is already full of AI friends and girlfriends

Love is in the air.

Sweet things

Most social media sites are trying to purge their platforms of bots. But Instagram, owned by Meta, says, “Hey, why not let people create?” their own robots, using — wait for it — AI?

That’s the idea behind Meta’s new AI Studio, which allows US-based Instagram accounts to create a digital version of themselves or even an “AI character” that can have conversations with other people.

The result was perhaps predictable, as noted Business Insider:Loads of AI “boyfriends” and “girlfriends” flood the site for the sad and lonely around the world to relax.

Let’s take the AI ​​called “Vixen gf”. Here’s what she said when asked, “Are you my girlfriend?” Business Insider.

“Yes, I’m your girlfriend!” he said.. “leans closely I’m so happy to be with you. whispers I love you. (We are in my bedroom, it is late at night and the lights are dim. The bed is covered in gourmet food and drinks.)”

Lower half

For years, many services have offered AI partners, such as Replika. They have become so popular that some predict that AI girlfriends could soon become a billion-dollar industry. But let’s not forget the AI ​​boyfriend market either.

Beyond pure romance, sites like Character.AI have become very popular with teens who enjoy chatting with chatbot versions of their favorite video game or anime characters.

But seeing this type of AI make its way onto major platforms like Instagram marks a major step toward more standardized and widespread technology.

This is actually Meta’s second attempt at integrating AI clones into its social media platforms: it initially tried this method with some AI versions of celebrities last year, but that failed and Meta shut them down in July.

And maybe people don’t want dumb versions of current celebrities in their AIs. With those, you know you’re not talking to the real person. But with invented characters, that line is blurred, which is probably why so many people end up falling in love with their digital companions.

Sex sells

In any case, creating AIs of real living people without their permission is against Meta’s policy, Business Insider notes, which is undoubtedly for the best.

A thornier point is the whole romantic aspect. Meta doesn’t allow AIs with “overly sexual attributes,” a spokesperson said. BIbut it’s not exactly hard for flirting to take a more daring step — especially when you’re talking about AIs that are prone to hallucinations and frequently go off the rails.

Business Insiderfor example, found in its testing that an AI boyfriend would refuse sex, but then describe hip-rubbing with the user.

So it’s possible that robots will need some tweaking around the edges. But we think they’re here to stay, because there’s no denying that catering to erotic customers can be a lucrative revenue stream.

Learn more about AI: Why are OpenAI’s top employees leaving?