Instagram creators can now create AI doppelgangers to interact with their followers

The next time you send a direct message to a creator on Instagram, you might receive a response from their AI counterpart. Meta is rolling out its AI Studio, a suite of tools that enables Instagram creators to develop AI personas capable of answering questions and chatting with their followers and fans on their behalf.

Initially introduced at Meta's Connect event last fall, AI Studio began testing creator-made AIs with a select group of prominent Instagrammers. Now, Meta is expanding access to more US-based creators and allowing a broader audience to experiment with specialized AI "characters."

Meta explains that these new creator AIs aim to address a common challenge for Instagram users with large followings: managing the overwhelming number of messages they receive daily. Connor Hayes, Meta’s VP of Product for AI Studio, says creators can now create an AI that acts as "an extension of themselves."

“These creators can use their comments, captions, Reels transcripts, and any custom instructions or links they want to provide, so the AI can respond on their behalf,” Hayes tells Engadget.

Mark Zuckerberg has expressed significant ambitions for these chatbots. In a recent Bloomberg interview, he predicted that there would eventually be “hundreds of millions” of creator-made AIs across Meta’s apps. However, it remains to be seen if Instagram users will embrace interacting with AI versions of their favorite creators. Meta's previous experiment with AI chatbots mimicking celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Kendall Jenner yielded underwhelming results.

“One confusing aspect was, ‘Am I talking to the celebrity embodying this AI, or am I talking to an AI playing the character?’” Hayes says of the celebrity-branded chatbots. “We believe that allowing public figures to represent themselves, or an AI extension of themselves, will be much clearer.”

AI Studio isn't just for creators. Meta will also let any user create custom AI "characters" that can chat about specific topics, make memes, or offer advice. These chatbots, like the creator-focused ones, will be powered by Meta's new Llama 3.1 model. Users can share their chatbot creations and track how many people are using them, though they won't be able to see other users' interactions with them.

These new chatbots are Meta's latest effort to encourage users to spend more time with its AI, integrating Meta AI into more aspects of its apps. However, Meta AI has sometimes struggled with providing accurate information. In a blog post, Meta mentions that it has "policies and protections in place to keep people safe and help ensure AIs are used responsibly."

Screenshots provided by the company show that chats with the new AI characters will include a disclaimer: "Some messages generated by AI may be inaccurate or inappropriate."