The ‘AI friend’ feature, which will enable users to add friends based on their preferences, may be in the works at Instagram, which is owned by Meta. App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi posted screenshots of the AI’s capabilities on X, claiming that users will be able to “answer questions, talk through any challenges, brainstorm ideas, and much more” through communication.
“#Instagram is working on the ability to create an #AI friend,” he wrote.
The screenshots appear to indicate that users will have the option to select the chatbot’s gender and age. Users would then be able to modify the personality and ethnicity of their AI. An AI companion could be described as “reserved,” “enthusiastic,” “creative,” “witty,” “pragmatic,” or “empowering,” for instance.
Selecting interests will “inform its personality and the nature of its conversations,” according to the screenshots, allowing users to further customize their AI companion. DIY, pets, careers, education, entertainment, music, nature, and more are among the options. Users will be able to select an avatar and a name for their AI companion after making their selections. After that, they would see a chat box where they could press a button to initiate a conversation with the AI. Unreleased features might be shown to the public, kept under wraps, or altered further while in development.
Meanwhile, Instagram is testing a new collaborative feature that will allow your friends to add photos to your posts. The development was shared by Instagram head Adam Mosseri on his broadcast channel.