Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is set to introduce AI-powered personas on these platforms as early as next month, as reported by Financial Times. These personas will add a new dimension to user interactions, providing personalized search results, recommendations, and engaging in human-like conversations with the massive user base of nearly 4 billion.

The AI personas will have distinct personalities that align with their functions. For instance, the persona offering travel suggestions may adopt a surfer-like chatting style, while another might imitate the speech of historical figures like Abraham Lincoln.

Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, shared his vision for integrating AI personas into their products earlier this year, emphasizing their potential to assist users in various ways. The company is exploring diverse experiences with text, images, video, and multi-modal interactions across platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and more.

By introducing AI personas, Meta aims to enhance user engagement on Facebook and Instagram, especially considering the competition from TikTok, the popular Chinese short-video app. This move also serves as a demonstration of Meta's advanced AI capabilities, as it competes with tech giants like Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google in the AI landscape.

Although the specific launch date for AI personas remains undisclosed, there are indications of their imminent arrival. In June, app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi uncovered traces of a new "Chat with an AI" feature on Instagram, suggesting users would soon interact with 30 different AI personalities for questions, advice, and message composition.

Zuckerberg further highlighted Meta's AI initiatives during a recent earnings call, revealing that the personas are built using LLaMA, Meta's proprietary AI large language model.

As Meta endeavors to deliver enhanced user experiences and stay competitive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape, the integration of AI personas is poised to offer a fascinating and interactive dimension to the social media experience for Facebook and Instagram users.