Meta is building a photorealistic AI model of Mark Zuckerberg that will keep watch on staff at all times

We've reached a point where it's getting harder to tell which headlines are supposed to sound unbelievable. If you need the latest proof of that, Meta is reportedly building a photorealistic AI clone of Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook founder is developing an AI-powered 3D version of himself that can respond to queries in his absence and offer feedback to employees.

The AI avatar is being developed using a wealth of data on Zuckerberg's mannerisms, voice, tone, and public statements. According to the Financial Times, the CEO himself is involved in testing and training his AI character, with the team feeding it his latest views on company strategy so that interactions with employees feel more natural. Quite the irony.

The effort comes as Zuckerberg's hands-on involvement in the company is growing, with reports that he spends 5 to 10 hours a week vibe coding AI projects and participating in technical reviews. This isn't Meta's only effort of this kind, either. Reports have also suggested the company is developing a separate "CEO agent" to assist Zuckerberg by streamlining information retrieval and reducing his need to communicate directly with staff.

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Meta has reportedly been working on photorealistic 3D animated AI characters for some time. Back in 2023, the company announced it was paying celebrities millions to turn them into chatbots, but that attempt fell flat. The company also introduced AI Studio, a tool that helps creators build AI characters capable of interacting with fans. However, following criticism that such products could harm children's mental health, the company blocked teens from interacting with AI characters.

If the company's previous forays into character chatbots are anything to go by, it's safe to say it has struggled to gain public traction in this area. It also goes without saying that a project like this could quickly become a massive resource hog, and that is exactly what inside sources told the Financial Times.

For the average consumer, that means even more strain on already scarce computing power. That said, this comes just a week after YouTube began rolling out a feature that lets users create realistic AI avatars that look and sound like themselves.