Audiences heard from some famous voices at Meta’s annual Meta Connect Conference Thursday.
In arguably the most attention-grabbing announcement of the day, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled an update to the company’s AI assistant, MetaAI, allowing users to speak to the chatbot and hear responses in the voice of a number of celebrities.
Zuckerberg engaged with an audio likeness of actress and rapper Awkwafina, but other celebrity voices included with the feature include. Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and Keegan-Michael Key. Meta didn’t reveal details about its agreements with the celebrities to feature their voices.
The feature wasn’t exactly a surprise, though. Reporting by Bloomberg last month revealed that the company was in talks with celebrities including Awkwafina, Dench, and Key, with the outlet claiming Meta was “offering Hollywood celebrities millions of dollars for the right to record and use their voices for artificial intelligence projects.”
Meta’s launch of celebrity-voiced AI assistants signals a growing trend in digital marketing and political campaigns for 2024. This innovation offers new opportunities to personalize voter engagement by blending familiar voices with AI, creating deeper connections with audiences. While it may seem like a novel marketing tactic, conservatives must ensure that these AI tools don't erode trust by appearing manipulative. As campaigns move forward, transparency in using AI-driven technologies will be critical to maintaining credibility while still leveraging the best practices of personalization and data-driven strategies.
~Political Media