Taking Instagram's AI Characters for A Test Drive
Rich Nardo, partner at Flux88 Studios and VP at ngagency
With AI becoming an essential tool for creative and marketing professionals, we decided to explore one of the more unique features within Meta’s AI suite: AI Avatar Characters. While this concept may feel like a novelty now, it offers an exciting way to passively engage with your audience and reach new fans on Instagram. And with Meta’s recent announcements about VR Avatars and VR Video Avatars, it’s clear that deeper AI and VR integration is on the horizon. So, getting acquainted with these tools early might give you an edge.
Without further ado, please meet Flux88’s very own AI creation: VisionWeaver.
Building VisionWeaver: The Process
Creating VisionWeaver was easier than expected. If you’ve used AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, or dabbled in AI image generation, you’ll find the process intuitive. Start by clicking the “+” icon in the upper-right corner, just as you would for any regular post, and select AI Character. From there, you can choose from a variety of ready-made templates or build a custom AI character—like we did with VisionWeaver.
Once you start, you’ll be prompted to describe your AI character, which lays the foundation for their personality and expertise. Instagram will then generate a suggested image, name, and tagline for your character—all of which can be customized to fit your creative vision. At this stage, you’ll also define your target audience to ensure the character’s tone and messaging resonate with the right people.
Refining Your AI Character: Advanced Settings
To fine-tune your Avatar, you can head into the Advanced Settings. Here, you’ll be able to add more nuanced details that shape and refine your AI’s personality. This allows your character to evolve beyond a basic template and become a more tailored representation of your brand or vision.
After refining these settings, we recommend starting a conversation with your AI character. This interaction helps further train the AI, ensuring it aligns with the way you want it to represent you or your brand on Instagram.
Training Your AI to Reflect YOU
A key step is to guide your AI on aspects of yourself or your brand that it should highlight when interacting with your followers. Think of it as teaching your character what to promote and how to steer conversations. This level of personalization ensures that your AI avatar is not only engaging but also aligns with your brand’s core message.
But, once you’ve trained it, your new AI character can offer your followers some pretty good advice!
Ready for the Spotlight
Once your AI character is properly trained and reflects your business or personal brand, it’s time to introduce them to the world. Your AI avatar can now interact with your followers, offering insights and advice tailored to your audience.
Final Thoughts: AI avatars like VisionWeaver offer a glimpse into the future of digital interaction, merging personality with automation. While this technology may still be in its early stages, experimenting with it now could help you stay ahead of the curve as AI and VR become more integral to social media and marketing strategies.