Meta eyes celebrity voices for AI, offer multi-million dollar deals

Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is eyeing celebrities in Hollywood for voices to be used in its artificial intelligence pursuits. According to sources familiar with the talks, Meta is offering millions of dollars to stars like Judi Dench, Awkwafina, and Keegan-Michael Key. These negotiations come while Meta representatives decline to comment, as the firm races to finalise all deals ahead of its Connect 2024 event this September, where it plans to roll out a suite of AI tools.

Though exactly what uses Meta is planning to have for the celebrity voices remain somewhat nebulous, it did say it could be a chatbot meant to be more of a digital assistant—like Apple's Siri—or even a digital companion. For example, users could speak with a chatbot that has the voice of Awkwafina. However, the negotiations have become bumpier than expected, with repeated stops as Meta and the representatives struggle over terms. Meta wants to secure rights to the voices for just one project and a fixed term, while representatives for actors are pushing for more restrictive terms.

There are huge fears in the creative community over the use of artificial intelligence—several people have feared losing their jobs. Labour stoppages last year saw screenwriters and actors demanding protection against the use of AI. Yet SAG-AFTRA, the primary union for actors, has reached an agreement with Meta on terms, according to the people.

Meta has a history of testing celebrity-inspired text-based chatbots; it has worked with celebrities like Dwyane Wade and Paris Hilton. Though that program is now defunct, the innovations never really stopped, as Meta recently opened an AI studio that gives content creators the chance to develop chatbots in their likeness.

By trying to bring celebrity voices into its AI projects, Meta company is stressing continuous betterment in user interaction via AI technology. As the company navigates these complex negotiations, the potential to transform digital assistance by recognisable voices could create a new baseline for the AI industry.