Judi Dench, Keegan-Michael Key, and Awkwafina are among several celebrities whose voices may be featured in Meta’s AI, as the company reportedly works to finalize agreements in time to showcase them at the Meta Connect conference in September, according to Bloomberg. (Source: Image by RR)

Hollywood Talent Joins Forces with Meta to Create a More Engaging AI Assistant

Meta is reportedly in negotiations with top Hollywood talent agencies to secure the voices of celebrities like Judi Dench, Keegan-Michael Key, and Awkwafina for its new AI assistant, MetaAI, which is set to be unveiled at the Meta Connect conference in September. The company aims to quickly finalize deals to develop and showcase these celebrity voices across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. These temporary contracts could be worth millions of dollars, with actors having the option to renew their agreements as they expire.

According to a story in theverge.com, the new MetaAI feature would integrate these celebrity voices into various aspects of Meta’s social media ecosystem, providing a more interactive experience for users. This move follows Meta’s previous attempts at using celebrity voices, such as the recently discontinued AI chatbots introduced at last year’s Connect conference. However, this new effort seeks to create a more authentic and engaging interaction by leveraging advanced generative AI technology, which can mimic human voices with greater accuracy.

Meta’s approach is not entirely new, as other platforms like Waze have used celebrity voices for years, and similar voice-driven features have been popularized in various applications. However, these implementations often felt more like novelties that quickly lost their appeal. Meta’s current initiative appears to be an attempt to transcend the novelty aspect by making the AI assistant more functional and integrated into daily use, potentially enhancing the overall user experience across its platforms.

Despite the potential for a more immersive experience with celebrity-voiced AI, it remains to be seen how well these features will resonate with users in the long term. While the idea of having a familiar voice like Judi Dench’s providing information or guidance could be appealing, the success of this initiative will largely depend on how seamlessly these voices can be integrated into the AI’s capabilities and whether they can offer lasting value beyond the initial novelty.

read more at theverge.com