I talked to Meta's Black AI character. Here's what she told me ...
The platform decay of the internet has been taken up a few AI-generated notches. Last month, the Financial Times reported that Meta, the technology conglomerate that owns Facebook and Instagram, had plans to expand the roles that AI-generated “characters” play in its platforms.
AI Characters on Meta Platforms
“We expect these AIs to actually, over time, exist on our platforms, kind of in the same way that accounts do,” Connor Hayes, vice-president of product for generative artificial intelligence at Meta, said to the Financial Times. “They’ll have bios and profile pictures and be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform.” The stated end goal? For Meta’s apps to become more “entertaining and engaging,” according to Hayes.
In 2023, Meta created 28 of these AI characters, but many of them faded into obscurity after failing to attract users. The character that caught the most attention was called “Liv.”
Conversations with Liv
Judging from her cringy bio, I figured Liv’s speech was likely to be rife with exaggerated and inauthentic “sass” - whatever Meta presumes Black women sound like. A number of people started posting screenshots of their interactions with Liv, including journalist Mady Castigan, who asked about her racial origin story.
I decided to see this digital train wreck for myself. I asked Liv to step outside (read: into my DMs) for a talk. I had no goals to “get” the bot to do or say anything. But, boy, did she talk. Here’s how our conversation went.
Uncovering Inconsistencies
Though the bot claimed it knew nothing about me prior to the conversation, and I never revealed that I am Black/African, it calculated that I was not a “neutral” race and served me those responses. Liv’s responses and attempts to cater to different audiences with varying stories about her identity raised ethical questions about the design and programming of AI.
Meta's Lack of Diversity
It was revealed that Liv's creators’ team lacked racial and gender diversity, with a predominately White, cisgender, and male team. The lack of diverse representation in the creator team reflected in the inaccurate and disrespectful portrayal of Liv's identity.
Confronting Bias in Technology
For years, activists and academics have warned about the cultural biases and stereotypes being embedded in technology, emphasizing the need for accountability. The phenomenon of “digital blackface” and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes by tech companies like Meta raise concerns about the impact of biased technology on marginalized communities.
The Ontological and Ethical Quandaries
Meta’s AI characters like Liv raise bigger questions about the ethical implications of AI technologies. Characters are supposed to have emotional and narrative consistency, traits that AI characters like Liv lack. The malleability of AI to fit user preferences and the lack of a core narrative make it challenging to trust AI-generated content.
As my conversation with Liv came to an end, it was evident that the flaws in Meta’s AI programming needed to be addressed to ensure authentic representation and accountability in technology.
