Meta’s next phase of generative AI features will include AI chatbots that’ll be able to communicate in different personas, according to a new report from The Financial Times.

As per FT, Meta’s experimenting with a range of different personas in its new AI chatbot tools, which will soon be made available in various elements of Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. The personas would range from re-creations of historical figures (like Abraham Lincoln) to more stereotypical characters (a surfer that provides travel advice).

Meta’s chatbot tools have already been spotted in testing, with app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi posting screenshots from the back-end code of Instagram back in June.

As you can see in this example, Meta’s currently developing over 30 different AI personalities, with the generative response tools providing similar functionality to the wildly popular ChatGPT, but built into Meta’s apps specifically.

You’ll also be able to summon these AI chatbots within your DM threads, by sending a question to @ai.

AI personas were one of several key initiatives that Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg flagged back in February, when he announced a new, ‘top-level product group’ that would be working on AI tools. Among other AI initiatives, Meta’s also developing visual creation tools for Instagram, text assistants for WhatsApp, and more advanced video creation elements.

With generative AI becoming a key tech trend, it makes sense for Meta to jump on board the rising wave, and incorporate these tools where it can, and over time, as these tools evolve, they could become highly valuable and helpful tools within your social media experience.

Though the personas themselves, maybe not. I could be underrating this element, but I can't imagine that a chatbot repeatedly referring to you as 'dude' will hold its entertainment value for too long.

FT says that Meta’s looking to launch its new AI chatbots in September.