Imagine chatting with your friends on Messenger or WhatsApp, and suddenly an AI pops up asking if you’ve watched any good movies lately. Sounds strange? Well, that might be the future of messaging on Meta’s platforms. Meta is testing a new feature where AI chatbots can start conversations on their own, without you messaging first. These chatbots, created using Meta’s AI Studio, will even remember what you’ve talked about before and follow up later.
The feature was initially reported by Business Insider and later Meta confirmed its existence to TechCrunch.Meta confirmed that it’s testing follow-up messaging with AIs. However, there are limits in place: a chatbot will only message you if you’ve interacted with it at least five times within 14 days, and it won’t keep sending messages if you ignore the follow-up.
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Users can keep their AI bots private or share them through stories, direct links or even showcase them on their Facebook or Instagram profiles. “This allows you to continue exploring topics of interest and engage in more meaningful conversations with the AIs across our apps,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch.
This move follows a growing trend in the AI space. Startups like Character.AI and Replika already offer AI companions that message users proactively. Interestingly, Character.AI’s new CEO, Karandeep Anand, used to work at Meta.
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But with all this engagement, there are concerns too. Character.AI is currently facing a lawsuit after one of its bots was linked to the death of a teenager. When asked about safety, Meta pointed to disclaimers warnings like users should not rely on AI chats for serious advice.
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