Are AI accounts making social networks unusable in the future? Social media platforms like Meta, X, and TikTok face numerous challenges, such as fake news and hate speech. However, one issue stands out as potentially leading to their downfall: AI accounts.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, sees generative AI as a significant opportunity. Since late 2023, Meta has tested 28 different AI characters on its platforms. These AI characters post content and chat with people, appearing almost indistinguishable from real users. The goal is to eventually fill the platforms with AI-generated users.
AI accounts like these raise ethical questions and undermine the primary purpose of social networks: connecting people. Introducing AI accounts creates uncertainty about who is human and who is not, increasing skepticism among users.
Spam and fake accounts have been part of the internet since its inception. On social networks, fake accounts, boosted likes, phishing messages, and dubious offers are commonplace. AI now amplifies these issues, making spam more prevalent and sophisticated. Bots can spread fake news more effectively, using tools like ChatGPT to generate realistic messages.
The growing presence of AI accounts and AI-generated content means authentic human interactions are becoming rarer on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X. This trend is reflected in the decreasing time people spend on social networks. A global survey by Statista and Kepios shows that daily usage time has dropped for the first time. In 2023, users spent 151 minutes daily on social media, but this decreased to 143 minutes in 2024, almost reaching 2018 levels.
Some believe the internet is already “dead,” dominated by bot activities and automatically generated content. While this is a conspiracy theory, it highlights the growing distrust people have toward social media accounts. If skepticism continues to rise, social networks may lose their value and become unusable due to AI.