Meta Enlists Celebrities for AI Voices Ahead of Meta Connect

Meta is enlisting stars such as Judi Dench, Keegan-Michael Key, and Awkwafina to lend their voices to its AI assistants, Bloomberg reported on Friday. The tech giant aims to finalize these deals swiftly, preparing to unveil the new voices at its Meta Connect conference this September.

Introducing MetaAI

According to sources cited by the New York Times, Meta plans to introduce "MetaAI," a digital assistant featuring these celebrity voices. Negotiations are ongoing with leading Hollywood talent agencies, with Meta reportedly offering multi-million dollar contracts to secure top talent. This approach mirrors last year’s Meta AI chatbots, which also featured well-known personalities.

Temporary Contracts and Platform Integration

The contracts would be temporary, allowing actors the option to renew as their terms expire. These celebrity voices would integrate across Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. Despite requests for comments, Meta has yet to respond.

A Familiar Strategy

This strategy isn't entirely new. Waze has used celebrity voices for navigation for years, and Amazon’s Alexa previously featured voices like Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa McCarthy, and Shaquille O'Neal. While Alexa has since retired these voices, they proved to be a popular feature. Meta hopes this fun addition will encourage more users to engage with Meta AI.