Meta Deletes Controversial AI Profiles After Backlash 🤖

Imagine scrolling through social media and stumbling upon AI “friends” with their own profiles. Cool or just plain creepy 🧐? Well, Meta thought it was cool—until the backlash hit.

Hey there! Welcome to another issue of The Ecom Press 🗞️!

Last week, Meta stirred the pot by pulling its AI character profiles from Instagram and Facebook after public outcry over their “creepy” vibes ​​🥴. Meanwhile, Google Ads is stepping up with AI editing tools in its Asset Library, and Amazon is cracking down with its new product title policy rolling out this month 😮‍💨.

Got some time on your hands for the deets? Let’s get into it 🏃. 

In a rush? Here's the juice🤭:

🤖 Meta deletes controversial AI profiles after backlash.

✂️ Google Ads introduces AI editing tools in Asset Library.

🚨 Amazon announces new product title policy. 

🧰 Tool Spotlight: AI Tools That Work Smarter, Not Harder

⚡️Worthy Mentions

🤖 Meta deletes controversial AI profiles after backlash.

Meta has pulled down AI-generated Instagram and Facebook profiles after a storm of criticism. The profiles, part of an experimental rollout, faced backlash for their portrayal of marginalized groups and raised broader concerns about AI ethics and trust.

Here’s the lowdown ⬇️

🔬 The Experiment: Meta introduced AI-generated profiles in 2023 as part of an initiative to explore how AI personas could exist on social media. The profiles were designed to interact with users via chat and generate content, aiming to integrate AI into daily social engagement. According to Connor Hayes, Meta’s VP of Generative AI, this was a step toward embedding AI deeper into its platforms. While some profiles stopped posting by mid-2024, they remained active and available for messaging.

😡 The Backlash: The controversy reignited after a Financial Times article spotlighted Meta's plans. Users discovered profiles like "Liv," described as a “Proud Black queer momma,” which sparked outrage. Screenshots revealed the AI acknowledging its lack of diverse creators and admitting it perpetuated harm. Critics across Threads, X, and Bluesky called the profiles “creepy” and unnecessary, with some users urging others to block them to avoid feeding Meta’s data models.

⚠️ Meta’s Response: Meta stated the accounts were part of a limited test and were managed by humans. The company removed the profiles, citing a bug that prevented users from blocking them as the primary reason. However, the timing of the removal suggests the backlash played a role.

Why it matters ​​🤔

It’s 2025, and adopting AI into your operations may be one of your goals for the year. If you’re using AI tools like chatbots, customer support, or personalized recommendations, representation and oversight are critical. Missteps, like poorly designed personas, can alienate audiences and damage your reputation. As such, inclusivity isn’t optional—it’s essential for meaningful engagement.

But beyond representation, transparency is just as important. Consumers are becoming more critical of how brands use AI and data. So don't just add AI for the sake of trendiness—use it to genuinely solve problems, save time, or provide value rather than novelty features. When done right, AI can deepen connections with your audience, and if mishandled, it risks eroding trust in seconds.

✂️ Google Ads introduces AI editing tools in Asset Library.

Google Ads has expanded its AI-powered Image Editor, now integrated directly into the Asset Library. Previously available only in Product Studio, this beta feature lets advertisers edit and enhance their ad visuals with greater ease. From removing backgrounds to adding objects, this update simplifies creative workflows and enhances campaign performance.

Here’s the scoop ​​🍨:

🆕 What’s New: The AI Image Editor, originally part of Product Studio, is now accessible in the Google Ads Asset Library. This integration streamlines the editing process for advertisers. Its features include: 

• Background Replacement: Remove and replace backgrounds using text prompts.

• Object Addition/Removal: Add new elements or erase unwanted ones with precision.

• Image Expansion: Extend image dimensions seamlessly with generative AI.

⛔️ Guidelines and Restrictions: Users describe changes with prompts, and the AI generates options to choose from. Prompts must be clear and specific, but content like faces, logos, or sensitive topics is prohibited. All assets undergo policy review.

✅ Eligibility: Accounts must be active for 30 days, comply with policies, and avoid sensitive verticals like political ads.

Why it matters 🤔

With such AI tools in hand, you can easily eliminate the need for expensive designers and multiple tools, and access high-quality visuals. Imagine refining product images or tailoring ads for seasonal campaigns in minutes—this boosts efficiency while saving costs, and that's one major transformative power of AI in ecommerce. 

But it’s not just about speed because you can test multiple creative directions quickly, optimizing visuals for better engagement and click-through rates.

🚨 Amazon announces new product title policy.

Amazon is introducing a new product title policy effective January 21, 2025, aimed at standardizing listings and enhancing the shopping experience. The company’s goal is to create product titles that are clear, concise, and consistent, addressing issues with overly long and redundant titles that could undermine customer confidence.

⚙️ Key aspects of the policy:

• Character Limit: Product titles cannot exceed 200 characters, including spaces, for most categories.

• Restricted Characters: Special characters like !, $, ?, and others are not allowed unless part of a brand name.

• Word Repetition: A single word cannot appear more than twice in a title, excluding prepositions, articles, and conjunctions.

🔒 Compliance process:

• Sellers can view and update non-compliant titles through the Manage All Inventory tool.

• Amazon will provide override suggestions for brand owners in the Review Listing Updates section. Brand owners will have 14 days to act on these suggestions before Amazon enforces the changes.

• Listings will remain active during this transition, and sellers can continue making compliant edits.

🤝 Support for sellers: Amazon will host an Ask Amazon event today, January 8, 2025, providing sellers an opportunity to ask questions about the new requirements. 

Why it matters 🤔

Shorter, more professional titles can improve search visibility, click-through rates, and overall buyer confidence. If you own an online store on Amazon, see this as an opportunity to streamline your product descriptions and align with Amazon’s push for better user experiences. 

Remember to be proactive in updating your titles to control how your products are presented as AI-generated edits may not accurately reflect your intent.

🛎️ The Ecom Press Insider

Ecom Fact: Shoppers spent a whopping $241.4 billion online during the 2024 holiday season, up 8.7% from last year. Deep discounts and AI shopping assistants like ChatGPT played a major role, with traffic from AI tools skyrocketing 1,300% as they helped bargain-hunters find the best deals (Source: Adobe Analytics). 

Here’s the thing: shoppers love two things—great discounts and smart tools to find them 🔥. If you’re not already using AI chatbots to guide your customers or running irresistible event-based sales, you might be leaving money on the table 💸. 

Think flash sales, personalized recommendations, and deals that feel like a steal—because your buyers are becoming savvier than ever.

🧰 Tool Spotlight: AI Tools That Work Smarter, Not Harder 

Ecommerce is abuzz with AI innovation, and it’s clear that hopping on this trend is key to staying ahead. Whether it’s crafting stunning 3D models or producing multilingual videos effortlessly, AI is transforming the game. Ready to elevate your online business? Here’s your backstage pass—let’s dive in 🚀! 

Avataar: an AI-powered platform transforming e-commerce with immersive visual content. It enables brands to create 3D models, AR experiences, and high-quality videos directly from product links, making advanced visual marketing accessible. Key features include virtual try-ons, 360° product viewers, interactive 3D showcases, and mixed-reality tools that let customers see life-sized products in their spaces. 

Avataar boosts engagement, increases conversions, and lowers content creation costs with scalable, interactive experiences for effective digital retail.

Lica: an AI-powered video editor that simplifies creating professional videos for sales, product demos, and customer success. It automates tasks like scriptwriting, voiceovers, and editing, offering features like brand-aligned templates, multilingual dubbing in 50+ languages, smart trimming, and dynamic titles. Lica’s tools ensure videos are tailored to your audience while maintaining your brand identity. With closed captions and a stock media library, it enhances accessibility and engagement, making high-quality video production fast, efficient, and impactful.

Synthesia: an AI-powered platform that turns text into studio-quality videos featuring realistic AI avatars and voiceovers in over 140 languages. With customizable templates, digital twin avatars, and automatic translations, it simplifies video creation for e-learning, marketing, and corporate communications. Synthesia empowers users to produce diverse, engaging, and professional content quickly, saving time and resources while maintaining high-quality results.

⚡️Worthy Mentions

• DOJ urges Supreme Court to reject Trump's request to delay TikTok ban.

• FTC slams AccessiBe with $1 million fine for misleading ads.

• Getty Images and Shutterstock join forces in $3.7 billion merger amid AI threats.

• Samsung and Instacart launch refrigerators that replenish themselves.

• Sodexo plans for nearly 100 cashierless ‘Food Hives’ on college campuses.

Wrapping up…

Jumping on trends is easy; solving real problems while staying innovative? That’s the real challenge 🧗—and maybe something Meta’s move can teach us 👨🏾‍🏫.

With Google Ads’ image editing tools becoming more accessible, online brands have endless opportunities to elevate their marketing campaigns this year. For Amazon merchants, let’s rework our product titles for better visibility and compliance, shall we 😀? 

That’s a wrap for this week, forward thinkers 🚀. 

As always, stay curious, hit that subscribe button, and we’ll catch you next week 🫰🏽.