You can’t get online lately without some kind of news about what AI can do or shouldn’t do, and everything in between.

I feel like there are more cautionary tales than anything else, and this one about AI being able to impersonate celebrities is no exception.

 

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Bing apparently has a “celebrity” mode, which BleepingComputer thinks signals the company is planning to use the technology to entertain as much as inform.

The feature can be turned on with a simple “celebrity mode” request.

“Bing chat celebrity mode is a feature that allows you to chat with a virtual version of a famous person, such as an actor, singer, or athlete. You can ask them questions about their life, career, hobbies, opinions, etc. and they will respond in a way that matches their personality and style.”

For their part, Microsoft hasn’t said anything about the feature, though they officially announced a “creative” mode that allows users to toggle between the AI being opinionated or precise.

 

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The celebrity feature currently seems to be restricted to certain celebrities, including Emma Watson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Oprah Winfrey, and a handful of others.

Some fictional characters are also available to chat, so if you have questions for Gandalf, Darth Vader, Gollum, or Harry Potter, now is your chance.

The tool was developed with the intention of assisting users in completing web searchers, so this is definitely a departure from that mission.

That said, I think they know that users are just as keen on being entertained, if we’re being honest.