Meta's throwing big money at Hollywood celebs to use their voices for AI projects—think millions. They’re chatting with big names like Judi Dench, Awkwafina, and Keegan-Michael Key, but it's all being done on the down lows for now. 

Meta's on a tight deadline, trying to wrap up deals before their big Connect 2024 event in September, where they plan to show off some new AI tools. 

The idea is that you could end up chatting with a digital assistant that sounds like Awkwafina or maybe even someone else famous.

But there’s some back and forth in the negotiations—Meta wants broad rights, while the actors’ reps are pushing for more restrictions. 

Hollywood's pretty freaked out by AI, worried it might steal their jobs. 

Last year, actors and writers fought hard for protections against it. Despite the concerns, SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, has cut a deal with Meta. 

Meta’s tried the celeb-inspired chatbot thing before with people  like Dwyane Wade and Paris Hilton, but that program's done now. They’re also letting creators make AI chatbots of themselves through their AI studio.