She looks like Kendall Jenner and sounds like Kendall Jenner, but on Instagram she’s introducing herself as Billie. Who is she?
Billie is an AI-powered bot managed by Meta using Jenner’s likeness. Meta has created a group of bots played by familiar celebrity faces, including Paris Hilton, Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg.
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Each bot has its own niche, specializing in specific topics for conversation. Tom Brady’s character Bru is a sports debater, adept at conversing with sports fans. Snoop Dogg’s character is a dungeon master, ready to interact with fans of Dungeons & Dragons. Jenner’s character Billie is positioned as an older sister whom users can message for advice.
When the news first broke, there was some confusion over whether the photos and videos were actually of the celebrities, or whether they were generated by AI.
In Jenner’s introductory post to Billie, users left comments like this:
“AI is getting out of hand…”
“Is it legal? Did Kendall consent to this? Is he getting money from this?”
“When I look at AI I would say I have always known. This doesn’t sound anything like AI to me. If it’s really AI generated… I’d be nervous.”
So far, the content showing celebrity likenesses has been actual videos, with each celeb playing a human version of their bot. However, chat features and messages from these accounts will be generated by AI.
Why is Meta Celebrity Using AI Bots?
The play is essentially using celebrities and influential faces to engage younger people on Facebook and Instagram, which are more popular among older users. There are some concerns around user privacy (i.e. how to protect and use data shared with AI chatbots) and what it means for celebrities to lend their likeness to Meta.
According to the report, participating creators were paid up to $5M to allow the tech giant to use their likeness. It’s not publicly clear how much content Meta will be able to create using celebs’ faces. The move comes at a uncertain time in the entertainment industry as both writers and actors have experienced strikes this year, with safety from AI a major sticking point in negotiations.
While it’s still too early to tell what the lasting impact of Meta’s AI bot experiment will be, the consensus is clear: It’s a little scary and could be a worrying sign of things to come.
