Meta’s Latest AI Fiasco: A Cycle of Disappointment
Meta has managed to cause controversy with its AI push once again, this time by introducing AI-generated pictures of users in their feeds.
A Familiar Pattern
When I saw this story, I was alarmed by the revolting tackiness of it all, but I wasn’t surprised. A very clear pattern has emerged in Meta’s behaviour – the company is going all-in on AI, but has no real idea what to do with it, what users want from it, or – crucially – how to make any money off it. But the war to be the best social media platform grinds on, shareholders demand their quarterly treats, and AI is still the hottest buzzword on the block. So, Meta is jamming AI into everything, throwing it all at the wall in the desperate hope that something, anything, manages to stick.
The Cycle
I might be wrong, and if that’s the case then I encourage Mark Zuckerberg to come down here and community note my ass. But I don’t think I am. There’s a cycle that’s been playing out for literal years at this point:
- Meta announces a big, splashy new AI feature
- Users either revolt, make fun of it, or simply ignore it.
- Meta quietly retires the feature.
- Go to 1.
A Recent Example: AI Chatbots
By far the biggest boondoggle so far has been the aforementioned celebrity AI chatbots. I wouldn’t blame you if you’ve already forgotten about it, so here’s a refresher. In late 2023, Meta announced that it would be bringing a host of AI assistant chatbots featuring various famous faces. Users would be able to have their questions answered by the likes of Snoop Dogg, MrBeast, Paris Hilton, Kendall Jenner and more. And where are they now, you ask? The whole thing was a disaster, users hated it, and the chatbots were boxed within less than a year.
The Cost of Failure
I confidently predict that this latest feature – the ‘Imagined for You’ selfies that put u/Green_Video_9831 into a hall of mirrors – is going to go the exact same way. I’m not blind to the cute novelty factor of it – I’m sure you can imagine yourself enjoying seeing a pretty realistic-looking photo of yourself on the surface of Mars or in Blade Runner or whatever. But can you imagine yourself enjoying that more than once or twice? Can you imagine enjoying that on a regular enough basis that it significantly juices Meta’s engagement metrics? Can you imagine yourself paying for it?
Conclusion
I firmly believe that Meta has no path to profitability with this stuff. If this all feels like a flailing tech giant desperately seeking to stay on top of the pile by burning money to over-leverage on underdeveloped technology that can’t really do the things they’re saying it can do – well, that’s because it is. And sure, Meta has a lot of money to burn. But nothing is infinite. At some point, they’re going to hit the limits of what they can spend on this stuff without making any return. What comes after that? I don’t know! I don’t think Meta knows either, and I think the company is really, really hoping that it doesn’t have to find out.
FAQs
Q: Why is Meta struggling with AI?
A: Meta is struggling with AI because it has no clear direction or understanding of what users want from it, and it’s throwing too much money at underdeveloped technology in a desperate attempt to stay relevant.
Q: What’s the pattern with Meta’s AI announcements?
A: Meta announces a big, splashy new AI feature, users react negatively, Meta quietly retires the feature, and the cycle repeats.
Q: Is the AI-generated selfie feature a failure?
A: Yes, I confidently predict that this feature will follow the same pattern as previous failed AI features from Meta.
