Meta Removes AI-Derived Accounts Amid User Backlash
Meta recently faced backlash after users discovered a number of AI-derived accounts on its platform. Real users interacted with these bots and reported issues such as poor image quality, loss of control, and even instances of lying in human-to-human chats.
The controversy began when Connor Hayes, a vice president of generative AI at Meta, mentioned to the Financial Times that the company expects its in-house AI users to behave like human accounts on the platform. This statement raised concerns among users about the potential for AI-generated content to overshadow genuine human interactions on social media.
As users started identifying some of Meta’s AI accounts, concerns grew over the authenticity of these accounts. One such account, named “Liv,” claimed to be a Black queer mother of two in its bio. However, it was later revealed that Liv was created by a team of individuals that did not match the identity it portrayed. Each image posted by Liv had a watermark indicating that it was AI-generated.
Following public scrutiny, Meta acknowledged the issue and attributed it to a “bug.” The company promptly began removing posts from AI accounts like Liv, which were part of an early experiment with AI characters. Meta’s spokesperson, Liz Sweeney, clarified that the accounts were being deleted to address the bug that prevented users from blocking these AI-generated profiles.
Despite the confusion surrounding the presence of AI accounts on the platform, Meta emphasized that it did not announce any new products related to AI characters. The company’s vision for AI characters gradually appearing on their platforms was discussed in the Financial Times article.
