Meta's AI chatbot to start speaking in the voices of Judi Dench, John Cena, others, source says

Meta is planning to announce this week that it has secured deals with Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to give voice to its Meta AI chatbot, a source told Reuters.

Facebook owner Meta Platforms is planning to announce this week that it has secured deals with actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to give voice to its Meta AI chatbot, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters on Monday.

The new audio feature will offer users the option to select a voice for Meta's ChatGPT-like digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, who also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as several generic voice options, the person told Reuters.

The social media giant is set to announce the audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which starts on Wednesday, the person said.

Meta is also expected to unveil a first version of its augmented-reality glasses at Connect this year and to discuss its road map for other hardware devices like its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became its first product to include an audio version of the Meta AI chatbot.

The celebrity voices will start launching in the U.S. and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's family of apps, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the source told Reuters.

Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video featuring Cena on Instagram last week, showing the two men and several others engaging in stunts while wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.