Meta Develops Voice Capabilities for AI Chatbot
Meta plans to announce this week that it has struck deals with actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to provide voices for its Meta AI chatbot, Reuters reported .
The new voice feature gives users the option to choose a voice for the ChatGPT-like AI assistant from a list of five celebrities, including Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as a range of general voice options.
The social media giant is set to trumpet its voice capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which kicks off Wednesday.
Meta is also expected to unveil its first augmented reality glasses at its annual Connect conference this year and discuss its roadmap for other devices, such as Ray-Ban smart glasses, its first product to include a voice version of its Meta AI chatbot.
Celebrity voices are rolling out in the US and other English-speaking markets this week across the Meta family of apps, which includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects.
Last week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video on Instagram showing John Cena performing acrobatic moves while wearing Ray-Ban smart glasses.
Meta has been racing to bring its generative AI products to billions of users, competing with OpenAI and Google for control of the emerging technology. Meta is adding new capabilities to the chatbot and making it more prominent in the user experience of its apps.
OpenAI demonstrated a similar voice feature for its chatbot in May, though it ran into trouble with actress Scarlett Johansson due to the similarity of the voice.
Meta's AI assistant can currently interact in text chats and generate images in response to user prompts.
Last year, the company experimented with bringing celebrities into the project by launching text-based, personalized versions of its chatbot inspired by celebrities, though these versions didn't gain any traction.
Meta has since moved to focus on its AI Studio product, which lets creators across its platforms create personalized versions of the chatbot.