An upcoming AI product by Meta can get you chatting with celebrities. according to Bloomberg and The New York Times, the company is in talks with Awkwafina, Judi Dench and Keegan-Michael Key, among other celebrities, from various Hollywood agencies for AI projects. It looks like the company intends to incorporate its voices into a conversational generative AI-slash-digital assistant called MetaAI, similar to Siri and Google Assistant.
Meta plans to record their voices and secure the rights to use them for as many situations as possible on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and even Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Bloomberg says that negotiations have started and stopped repeatedly because the two sides can’t agree on terms of use. For now, they appear to be time-bound, meaning that any sound recorded by the company can only be used for a set period of time. However, contracts with actors can be renewed or extended until their contract expires.
Although SAG-AFTRA has reportedly agreed to terms with Meta, the actors’ representatives are still trying to negotiate for tighter restrictions. SAG-AFTRA, if you recall, fought for provisions to protect actors from losing their jobs due to AI. when you go on vacation last year. Under those terms, the company would have to pay actors and get their consent before using an AI-generated likeness. If Meta reaches an agreement with the actors he talks to, he can pay them millions of dollars in royalties.
Meta is trying to finalize deals before the Connect conference in September. The Times a bunch of artificial intelligence products are expected to be launched. During the same event last year, the company also introduced its chatbot platform 28 “characters” voiced by celebritiesIncluding Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Dwyane Wade and Kendall Jenner. Information reports that Meta has quietly canceled the project, and the celebrity chatbots’ Facebook and Instagram pages no longer exist.
This article contains affiliate links; we may earn a commission if you click on such a link and make a purchase.
