Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms is likely to unveil a new feature this week that will allow users to select celebrity voices for its AI chatbot, according to a report from Reuters on Monday. High-profile actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena have reportedly signed on to lend their voices to the company’s digital assistant, which is similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The voice options, which also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, will reportedly be offered alongside a variety of generic voices for Meta’s AI. The announcement is expected to be made during Meta’s annual Connect conference, which kicks off on Wednesday. This audio feature will be available across Meta’s apps, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, in the US and other English-speaking regions, the report adds.
The introduction of celebrity voices could fit into Meta’s broader push to stay competitive in the burgeoning field of generative AI. Big tech rivals like Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Alphabet-owned Google have also been ramping up their AI products. OpenAI rolled out a similar voice feature to its chatbot earlier this year, though it drew controversy when actress Scarlett Johansson accused the company of using a voice closely mimicking her own without her consent.
Meta has been busy improving its AI offerings and deepening its integration into its apps, giving users new ways to interact with the technology. Last year, the company experimented with text-based AI “characters” modeled after celebrities like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, though these failed to gain widespread popularity.
Meta is also expected to introduce its first version of augmented reality (AR) glasses at the event. The company is also likely to detail future plans for other hardware, such as its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became the first product to feature an audio-enabled version of Meta's AI assistant.
In preparation for the Connect conference, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared a promotional video on Instagram last week featuring John Cena. In the clip, Cena and others perform stunts while wearing Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses.
(With input from Reuters)
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Published: Sep 24, 2024, 11:02 PM IST
