I stared in disbelief at the Facebook prompt that offered to "Comment with AI" and wondered, Are we really this lazy?
In more evidence that artificial intelligence (AI) is inescapable, Facebook owner Meta has quietly begun seeding AI throughout the social media experience. Now it's offering to write post comments for you.
I stumbled on this feature when I noticed that another friend had just celebrated a milestone birthday and was, as one does, thanking people on Facebook for all the kind birthday wishes. I realized I was a day late and got ready to compose the usual "Happy Belated!" with, perhaps, something more personal thrown in. I planned to figure it out on the fly.
I selected the comment space and that's when I saw the "Comment with AI" prompt. To Meta's credit, Facebook does a decent job of explaining the core concepts of Generative AI and, while the AI can write the comments for you, you can also edit the AI's suggestions and use it to generate something more than just 'Happy Belated."
Facebook's AI, which I must assume is based on Meta's Llama 2 generative model, offers a variety of AI-generated comment styles including:
- Insightful
- Inspirational
- Heartfelt
- Casual
- Supportive
Bad ghost-writing
You won't, by the way, see the big "Comment with AI" prompt pop-up up every time. After that first surprise appearance, the AI sits more quietly in the comment field as a trio of icon shapes (just to the left of the more preferable "GIF" option).
Depending on the subject of the image and original post, which the AI clearly reads and interprets, the responses can range from terrible to weirdly insightful.
For my friend's birthday, I chose "heartfelt," but all the responses came back as cringe-worthy, seemed unrelated to our connection (friends since high school), and not at all in my voice.
This was my least favorite:
"Your gratitude is well deserved! You have an amazing support system. Enjoy every moment of your special day 🎂"
Despite my distaste for virtually every word in that comment suggestion, I did appreciate that it added a cake emoji, since that is something I regularly do.
I have seen better options across a wide range of Facebook posts and appreciate that no matter where the AI starts, I can edit the comment so it makes more sense or at least seems more like it came from me.
Inhuman
This, though, is a slippery slope. If I can't muster the effort to come up with my own comments (there's currently no option for letting the AI generate new Facebook posts), why am I even on social media? (A fair general question.)
Facebook's core premise has always been about connection, not to another computer, neural network, or Skynet – but to another human, and usually someone you already know.
In recent years, I only return to Facebook to celebrate other people or just to enjoy people celebrating me on my birthday This is not insignificant. All those comments do tend to fill up the heart. What if people realized that your comment was composed totally or in part by an AI? It's like letting Amazon choose the gift you're giving to a loved one. They might like the gift, but you'll know the truth and if they discover it, it will change how they feel about you.
Head space
Remember that phrase, "It's the thought that counts"? It's not supposed to be, "It's the Artificial thought that counts." People cherish being considered and thought about by others. Sometimes we can't conceive that people are thinking about anything other than their own lives, but then someone reaches out on social media, with a text, or even a phone call(!), and you realize that you've been living rent-free in their gray matter.
You may think that Facebook offering AI-generated comments is no big deal, but I see a dark future where most Facebook users opt for the readily offered AI comments, and their actual connections to loved ones wither away.
I like AI and plan to use it in my daily life but it should not substitute for human thought and emotion. Nothing can come from the heart when it starts in silicon.
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