Instagram may be developing customisable 'AI friend' feature

SAN FRANCISCO: Meta-owned Instagram might be developing an 'AI friend' feature that will let users create a friend as per their liking.

According to screenshots shared by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi on X, users will be able to communicate with the AI in order to "answer questions, talk through any challenges, brainstorm ideas, and much more".

"#Instagram is working on the ability to create an #AI friend," he wrote.

The development was first spotted by TechCrunch.

According to the screenshots, users will be able to choose the gender and age of the chatbot. Following that, users would be able to customise their AI's ethnicity and personality. For example, your AI companion can be "reserved," "enthusiastic," "creative," "witty," "pragmatic," or "empowering".

Users can further personalise their AI companion by selecting interests, which will "inform its personality and the nature of its conversations," as per the screenshots. The options include -- DIY, animals, career, education, entertainment, music, nature, and more. After users have made their choices, they will be able to choose an avatar and a name for their AI companion. They would then be brought to a chat box, where they could start speaking with the AI by clicking a button.

Unreleased features may or may not be presented to the public, or the feature may be changed further during the development process.

Meanwhile, Instagram is testing a new collaborative feature that will allow your friends to add photos to your posts. The development was shared by Instagram head Adam Mosseri on his broadcast channel.

"New test on Instagram. We just started testing a new way to invite friends to join in on your feed posts. Before posting a carousel, you can turn on the ability for your followers to submit photos and/or videos, which you can approve to add to the post," he said.