Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram • Hacker News Board

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#261

Post by scotty79 » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:17 PM UTC

EcommerceFlow wrote: post #93

This gave me a funny idea for a new social media app... One that's centered around "you" and filled with thousands/millions of LLM bots praising you, treating you like a celebrity, etc. Each of your posts will get tens of thousands of "likes", hundreds of comments, etc. Dm's straight to your feed, people wanting you, etc etc. If the newsfeed is already mostly "the algorithm", might as well take it to the extreme. I b…

Make it a dating app. If you don't go overboard with response rate most men won't notice.

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#262

Post by freehorse » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:18 PM UTC

Kiro wrote: post #143

downsplat wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't people use whatsapp in your corner of the world? Over here in Europe all of that happens over whatsapp, which is still a Meta property at the end of the day, but one that hasn't been enshittified with off-network crap or algorithmic feeds... so far!

I presume GP thinks it's equally unnecessary considering they specifically mentions email and SMS.

What is the big difference between messaging apps and sms? They are both forms of semi-synchronous communication via texting. SMS in many cases incures charges, moreover messaging apps actually do not necessarily require using an actual phone, or even _having_ a phone, which is a big plus in my book.

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#263

Post by oefrha » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:19 PM UTC

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #177

oefrha wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every single one of your supposed citation talks about third parties selling engagement, except some speculation in [2]. Even the AI answer doesn’t support your claim, and regardless it’s super ironic that you consider several AI agents giving you similar answers about real world events strong evidence of anything.

Are you implying that TikTok had >50% of likes coming from bots and didn't know it? You don't need to fake the likes yourself to get the effect you want. The same thing was happening on Instagram and Facebook - just at a much smaller ratio - mostly because they stopped the problem earlier and the bot technologies got better and easier while TikTok was trying to grow and doing nothing to stop it - not because Instagra…

I’m saying you gave a bunch of “citations” that don’t support your claim. And your original claim is TikTok the first party boosted content with tons of fake upvotes to appear more viral, which you seem to have modified to a much weaker “they knowingly allowed third party bots to fester in order to appear more viral” in your reply.

Now, does either of the original strong claim or the subsequent weak claim match reality? It’s anyone’s guess, I’m leaning on likely for the latter and maybe for the former. But that’s not the point. Giving fake citations to make one’s argument appear stronger is what irks me, and again ironically, it’s almost a parallel of appearing more viral with fake likes.

Edited to add: your comment here is a perfect example of two problems on HN: using citations to give the impression of being well-supported when the citations say something else (occasionally the exact opposite); and lately, using AI slop as evidence.

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#264

Post by aiwjrliawj » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:21 PM UTC

Jesus christ social media is poison. LinkedIn is the only thing I still use, and even that only with dozens of adblock filters in place to remove 80% of content from my newsfeed and never on mobile since I can't use adblock. Social media is modern day tobacco.

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#265

Post by jonny_eh » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:21 PM UTC

Retr0id wrote: post #115

EcommerceFlow wrote: post #93

This gave me a funny idea for a new social media app... One that's centered around "you" and filled with thousands/millions of LLM bots praising you, treating you like a celebrity, etc. Each of your posts will get tens of thousands of "likes", hundreds of comments, etc. Dm's straight to your feed, people wanting you, etc etc. If the newsfeed is already mostly "the algorithm", might as well take it to the extreme. I b…

There are several of these already. Example: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/socialai-ai-social-network/id6... Surprisingly, it has broadly positive reviews. Maybe Meta is onto something.

The creator of that app got re-hired by Meta. Looks from the outside like an pseudo-acquisition.

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#266

Post by jonny_eh » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:22 PM UTC

kridsdale1 wrote: post #204

Retr0id wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are several of these already. Example: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/socialai-ai-social-network/id6... Surprisingly, it has broadly positive reviews. Maybe Meta is onto something.

Matt Sayman was a PM in my org at FB in 2015. Smart guy. He was 18 at the time. I watched his journey on Threads as he taught himself to program this year in order to make that app. Proud of his success.

Michael Sayman?

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#267

Post by jonny_eh » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:23 PM UTC

kridsdale1 wrote: post #207

sheperd wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Already exists, social AI. Meta hired the owner to implement this feature. Doesn't hurt to create a competitor if you're interested though!

Wait really? Matt was boomeranged?

Who's Matt?

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#268

Post by greenhearth » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:24 PM UTC

So this is basically the bitcoin of social media engagement? I don't have any followers, I will just make some? Who's to say they're not real followers? What is this "real" anyway?

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#269

Post by Loughla » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:24 PM UTC

dartos wrote: post #187

coffeebeqn wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m pretty sure everyone involved is a bot. The con is pulled on the ad buyers

No, there are people on Facebook really do like AI slop. My Nonna unironically loves the AI Jesus gifs and AI gifs of dogs washing babies. Many elderly people, I think, don’t know or care if an image is AI generated.

That makes me really sad for some reason.

AI content is replacing something for the elderly. Is that good or bad? I don't know but it feels sad.

Re: Meta Wants More AI Bots on Facebook and Instagram

#270

Post by RiverCrochet » Thu, Jan 02, 2025, 5:27 PM UTC

lumb63 wrote: post #170

nradov wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't need to know, but I want to know. Social media interactions doesn't cause me any stress or anxiety: rather the opposite. Most of us don't have problems with substance abuse or negative social media engagement. You shouldn't generalize from your own very limited experience or presume to give advice about things you don't understand.

Does this desire to want to know things about people you no longer associate with, not strike you as strange? There is no actual communication here - on one end, there is someone who either has no group of people whom they feel care about their update, so they “share” it with everyone; or, they are so conceited as to think everyone on the entire internet cares. On the other end is someone who does not know what they…

It strikes me as strange too. I understand wanting to believe your life is so important that you think the world at large needs to know, but the converse - truly desiring to be the receiving end of those announcements particularly of people you don't know very well - I cannot wrap my head around.