Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is reportedly developing an artificial intelligence clone of its founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, to answer queries from its nearly 79,000 employees. The digital version is being trained on Mr Zuckerberg’s mannerisms, tone, and public statements, as well as his thoughts on company strategy, according to the Financial Times.
The rationale behind the project is to help employees feel more connected to one of the most powerful figures in Silicon Valley. Mr Zuckerberg, 41, is estimated to be worth more than $220bn (£164bn) and is said to be personally involved in training the AI character using his own images and voice. Meta believes the concept could be adopted by influencers and other creators in the digital economy.
This is not the first time Mr Zuckerberg has experimented with digitalised versions of himself. In 2022, he shared an avatar within his metaverse that was widely mocked for its poor graphics, prompting an upgraded version. However, Meta has since scaled back its metaverse ambitions and shifted focus to AI-generated 3D characters capable of engaging in everyday conversation.
Until the AI clone is launched, Mr Zuckerberg continues to hold in-person meetings with staff. In 2023, two days after announcing 10,000 layoffs, he faced questions from rattled employees about job security and remote work. To prepare for such sessions, he is reportedly using a new internal AI system dubbed a “CEO agent”, which helps him access company information faster.
Mr Zuckerberg is driving Meta to integrate AI more deeply into its operations to lower costs and flatten organisational hierarchies. The company is investing billions in AI research, aiming to create “superintelligence” – a system capable of outperforming humans in any cognitive task. Last week, Meta launched Muse Spark, an advanced AI model that can estimate meal calories from a photo and plan complex tasks like family holidays.
Meta has faced legal challenges recently, including a $375m penalty in New Mexico for misleading consumers about platform safety and a California ruling that its platform Instagram was deliberately addictive to a young user. However, the AI clone project reflects the company’s broader push to use artificial intelligence to streamline internal communication and boost efficiency.
