Meta seems to be looking to expand the application of its AI products to Instagram. This time by launching AI versions of its popular influencers and online celebrities.

According to The New York Times, Meta is testing its "Creator A.I." program that would let content creators and online personalities interact with their fans at the same time thanks to automated chatbots.

Using its in-house AI technology, the chatbots will mimic the influencers' voices and likenesses to talk with fans through the platform's Direct Messages.

As of writing, the new AI-powered program is currently in its early stages with no confirmation yet whether it will be released anytime soon. Meta has yet to respond to The New York Times regarding its report.

Meta has launched a similar feature on Facebook where celebrities like Snoop Dogg, MrBeast, and Kendall Jenner were cast to role-play as certain AI characters "because interacting with them should feel like talking to familiar people."

The social media giant's first rollout, however, turned out to be less-than-stellar as many of the AI avatars barely received attention and support from fans of the original celebrities.

Also Read: Instagram is Testing an AI Chatbot for Search Bar, Direct Messaging

Meta Expands AI Tech on Instagram

Talks of the "Creator A.I." program follow the latest trend on Meta-owned platforms where the company has been pushing more and more AI-fueled tools to their users.

Just earlier, the company debuted its AI chatbot on Instagram that would allow users to ask the AI for recommended posts and Reels.

This was the same chatbot Meta has debuted on WhatsApp just a few weeks in advance.

There were also the photo editing tool and sticker generator the tech giant has introduced across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Both tools use the power of AI to generate backgrounds and images.

Businesses Turn to AI Influencers for Marketing

The same situation can already be seen on TikTok and some Chinese social media platforms as businesses resort to digital replicas of popular online personalities to appeal to the target demographic.

The shift to using the likenesses of influencers follows the trend of AI firms expanding the application of their technology beyond celebrities and actors, and towards people potential customers might relate with more.

It helps to boost sales growth as younger generations have been noted to trust online influencers more for their financial decisions than the government or other celebrities who rarely interact with their fans online.

In most cases, however, the use of AI influencers was made without the consent or compensation to the actual influencer the chatbot was based on.

With current laws being vague on how to handle such cases, many affected influencers are unable to appeal for legal actions besides waiting at the mercy of the platforms hosting the videos.

Related Article: TikTok Might Add an AI Feature to Create Ads Without Human Influencers