Google is making waves with its latest development in artificial intelligence by creating chatbots based on celebrities and YouTube influencers. Although this idea isn't entirely new—startups like Character.ai and companies like Meta have already ventured into similar territory—Google's approach could significantly shift its AI strategy.
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Google's new chatbots will be driven by its Gemini family of large language models, as revealed by The Information. The tech giant actively seeks partnerships with influencers and celebrities to bring this project to life. Additionally, Google is working on a feature that allows users to create their own chatbots by describing their personalities and appearances. This mirrors what Character.ai already offers. Notably, Noam Shazeer, one of Character.ai's co-founders and a former Google engineer, played a crucial role in developing the “transformers” technology, which is fundamental to today's generative AI.
Celebrity partnerships are on the horizon
While it remains uncertain which celebrities or influencers Google will collaborate with, examples from Meta provide some insight. Meta's AI chatbots feature personalities such as TikTok star Charli D'Amelio, YouTube sensation Mr. Beast, Snoop Dogg, Tom Brady, and Paris Hilton. In contrast, Character.ai offers various characters, including politicians, philosophers, fictional figures, and even inanimate objects like a talking block of cheese.
The initiative at Google is reportedly spearheaded by Ryan Germick, a long-time executive known for his work on Google Doodles, and a dedicated team of ten members. Their collective efforts aim to explore the potential of these AI-powered chatbots.
According to the report, Google's chatbots might be experimental. They could be available only on Google Labs, the company's platform for trial products, rather than being widely accessible. This experimental approach suggests that Google is testing the waters before a broader rollout.
The motivation behind Google's venture into AI chatbots remains unclear. Despite being integrated into various products, Meta's similar efforts have yet to achieve widespread popularity. For instance, Meta's chatbot based on Snoop Dogg has only garnered 15,000 followers on Instagram, starkly contrasting the human rapper's 87.5 million followers. This raises questions about the potential success of Google's chatbot initiative and what the company aims to achieve.
The future of AI chatbots
As the development of AI technology continues to evolve, Google's foray into celebrity and influencer-based chatbots could either set a new trend or be another experiment in the vast landscape of AI innovations. Regardless, the tech world will be watching closely to see how this initiative unfolds and whether it will capture the public's interest in a way previous efforts have not.
