Meta to Launch AI Chatbot Based on Abraham Lincoln as Part of Public Initiative

According to a report from Financial Times, Meta is getting ready to introduce chatbots with distinct personalities that are powered by AI. Interestingly, the first chatbot to be launched is expected to be Abraham Lincoln, allowing users to engage with the iconic figure and seek his opinions on various topics like Barbenheimer. Additionally, Meta is said to be developing a surfer personality specifically designed to assist users in making travel arrangements.

This is an attempt to increase engagement on Meta’s social media platforms, as human-like conversations tend to be more interesting than robot responses. The company has not announced which of these platforms will host Abe Lincoln and his pals, although previous reports have suggested that Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp will be the recipients of this new technology. Meta employees are calling these chatbots “personas” and they could launch as soon as September.

These personas offer a new way to search and even offer recommendations, much like today’s chatbots do, even though ChatGPT and others don’t have Abraham Lincoln on their payroll (just don’t ask him about the best local opera houses.)

The FT points out that chatbots can also collect huge amounts of personal data, which Meta has never shied away from. After all, you’re likely to share more personal more personal information with a human-like partner than one who isn’t. Most of Meta’s annual revenue comes from advertising, so tell your good friend Abe all your likes and dislikes. What’s the worst that could happen?

During Meta’s annual earnings call last week, Zuckerberg said he sees the future of artificial intelligence as “agents that act as assistants, coaches, or that can help you interact with companies and content creators.” Regarding the latter point, he said that the company also builds artificial intelligence chatbots specifically for customer service and the kind that Meta’s employees use.

Meta is not the first company to try to bring personality to the chatbot game. Startup Character.ai uses large-scale language models (LLM) to simulate conversations with real-life figures like Elon Musk and works of fiction like Nintendo’s Mario. Snapchat’s My AI chatbot is friendly and personable compared to its drier counterparts. It also spreads sponsored links about what’s next for the fake Lincoln and his surfer pals.