Which famous actors are voicing Meta’s new AI chatbot?

Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has pulled out some big guns for its artificial intelligence chatbot. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to have a conversation with a celebrity who knows pretty much everything, Mark Zuckerberg’s got you covered. Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, and John Cena are among the stars lending their voices to the company’s newly enhanced AI chatbot.

And yes, that means you could soon be hearing the dignified Dame Dench, who many will identify as ‘M’ from her time involved in James Bond movies, dishing out life advice, or Kristen Bell chiming in with her trademark wit – all through your phone.

In addition to these A-listers, the chatbot will feature the voices of Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, aiming offering a mix of humour and gravitas for every conversation. Meta isn’t skimping on its efforts to make its AI more relatable (or at least more fun), with these celebrity voices launching this week across its family of apps in English-speaking markets, including the US. For those who want a more neutral, non-celeb vibe, Meta will also offer some generic voice options, though let’s face it, if you have the option to chat with John Cena, why wouldn’t you?

How much is Judi Dench and Kristen Bell being paid to voice for Meta?

Unlike an all-knowing AI system, Meta isn’t spilling all the details, but it’s clear these celebs weren’t lured in just by the cool factor of being AI voices. According to reports, they were paid handsomely, figures cited in the millions of dollars. It’s also rumoured that the actors had a say in what their AI counterparts could and couldn’t say, so don’t be overly disappointed if AI Dench refuses to crack dad jokes for your amusement or Bell giving party political messages.

This level of control makes sense, especially given the potential for AI missteps. Meta surely wants to avoid a Scarlett Johansson-like controversy, where OpenAI was accused of making its chatbot sound suspiciously similar to the actress without her permission. Meta is wisely sticking to official partnerships to avoid such headaches, and paying well to keep things above board.

Meta’s smart glasses and photo understanding

While celebrity voices are the headliners, they’re just one part of Meta’s broader push into the AI space. The company has been racing to add features and expand its AI capabilities, aiming to compete with big players like Google and OpenAI, with Apple also starting to flex its intelligently artificial muscles. At the company’s annual Connect conference, Meta revealed even more AI-driven updates, including Orion holographic smart glasses that Zuckerberg showed off himself. The prototype let’s users see digital objects overlayed over the real world... oh, and he said they can be controlled with brain waves through a “neural interface.” We’ll have to wait for a while to see how and when they develop into the marketplace.

In addition to talking like a star, Meta’s AI can also help with more practical tasks. For example, it can now answer questions about photos you upload – perfect for when you need a recipe after snapping a pic of your latest culinary masterpiece. Or, if you’ve always dreamed of changing your outfit or swapping the background of a photo with a rainbow, Meta’s AI can handle that too. Fashion advice from a voice you trust could prove interesting.