• Meta is training custom AI chatbots to send unprompted follow-up messages and boost user engagement.
• Contractors at Alignerr help develop bots that remember chats and personalize replies on Meta apps.
• Mark Zuckerberg has said AI companions are a potential fix for the "loneliness epidemic."

It's the AI equivalent of a double text.

Business Insider has learned Meta is training customizable chatbots to be more proactive and message users unprompted to follow up on past conversations.

It may not cure what Mark Zuckerberg calls the "loneliness epidemic," but Meta hopes it will help keep users coming back to its AI Studio platform, documents obtained by BI reveal.

The goal of the training project, known internally to data labeling firm Alignerr as "Project Omni," is to "provide value for users and ultimately help to improve re-engagement and user retention," the guidelines say.

Meta told BI that the proactive feature is intended for bots made on Meta's AI Studio, which can be accessed on its own standalone platform or through Instagram. AI Studio first rolled out in summer 2024 as a no-code platform where anyone can build custom chatbots and digital personas with unique personalities and memories.

The guidelines from Alignerr lay out how one example persona, dubbed "The Maestro of Movie Magic," would send a proactive message:

"I hope you're having a harmonious day! I wanted to check in and see if you've discovered any new favorite soundtracks or composers recently. Or perhaps you'd like some recommendations for your next movie night? Let me know, and I'll be happy to help!"

"Like many companies, we're testing follow-up messaging with AIs in Meta's AI Studio," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to BI. "After you initiate a conversation, AIs in Meta AI Studio can follow up with you to share ideas or ask additional questions. This allows you to continue exploring topics of interest and engage in more meaningful conversations with the AIs across our apps."

Alignerr did not respond to a request for comment.

How the follow-ups work

Users can create highly personal chatbots, like a chef that suggests recipes or an interior designer that gives decor advice. For creators and influencers, the bots can handle fan interactions and respond to messages across Meta's platforms.

Meta's spokesperson added that the AI will only send a follow-up message after a user initiates a conversation, and it will not continue to contact the user if there's no response to that first follow-up. The window for any follow-up message is capped at 14 days after the initial user message. To be eligible for proactive follow-up, a user must have sent at least five messages to the chatbot in the last 14 days.

The bots made on AI Studio can be kept private for personal use or shared through stories, direct links, and even displayed on a user's Facebook or Instagram profile, the Meta AI Studio website says.

Making the bots more proactive aligns with Zuckerberg's ambitions for AI at Meta. On recent podcasts, the Meta CEO has said the average American now has fewer than three close friends and that digital agents could help fill the gap.

There's also a business reason for friendlier, proactive bots. Retention is key for generative AI companies with user-facing chatbots, and the longer users spend with a chatbot, the more valuable those interactions become, similar to engagement on social media. According to court documents that were unsealed in April, Meta predicted that its generative AI products would rake in $2 billion to $3 billion in revenue in 2025.

Some features described in Alignerr's training guidelines are already being quietly tested, while others appear to be in early rollout or pilot stages. Meta did not specify which features are live to BI.

The proactive features are similar to those of Character.AI, a startup that launched a service in 2022 that lets users create and interact with their favorite AI-powered characters or celebrities.

'It’s all about attention to detail'

Using an internal Meta review tool called SRT, freelancers simulate extended conversations with the bots, rate proactive follow-up messages, and sometimes rewrite text that falls short of Meta’s guidelines, two Alignerr contractors told BI.

A freelancer based in India who worked on Omni told BI it’s “a long-term project” with a focus on making Meta’s AI feel more personal and context-aware. “They’re very focused on personalizing information — how the AI chatbot interacts based on conversation history,” the contractor said.

“Each agent had a specific description, so you had to tailor each task to fit that persona. Again, it’s all about attention to detail,” the freelancer said. Personas could range from a doctor to a Gen Z hip-hop commentator.

Bots are expected to reference details from earlier chats, maintain their assigned persona, and keep the interaction on-topic.

Each message should align with the AI’s personality, match the previous context of the conversation, and "provide positive experiences," while explicitly avoiding anything Meta deems sensitive or harmful content.

The best messages, according to the training document, reference something concrete from the user’s past conversations.

According to the training documents, all proactive messages must comply with Meta’s broader Content and Responsibility Standards, avoiding controversy, misinformation, or emotionally heavy topics — unless the user brings them up first.

Have a tip? Contact Effie Webb via email at [email protected] or Signal at efw.40. Contact Shubhangi Goel via email at [email protected] or Signal at shuby.85. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is fighting a battle of inches as he tries to secure the last few votes he needs to get President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" across the finish line.

Why it matters: Johnson is racing against the clock to meet Republicans' self-imposed deadline to pass the marquee tax and spending bill, which they hope will get to the president's desk by July 4.

• That deadline is at threat of slipping as right-wing hardliners and moderates dig in against the bill over aspects they find unsavory.
• Republicans on Thursday broke the record for the longest House vote as they held open a procedural vote for an astonishing seven hours and 24 minutes as they tried to cajole GOP holdouts.
• Johnson continued to huddle with holdouts off the House floor past midnight, and Trump has been working the phones in coordination with Johnson, the speaker said on Fox News.

State of play: Shortly after concluding their record-breaking vote, Republicans moved to advance the bill to a final vote on the House floor.

• But that key vote was being stymied by GOP defectors as of early Thursday morning, with nearly half a dozen Republicans voting with Democrats against advancing the bill — enough to kill it.
• Another group of around eight Republicans — mostly right-wing hardliners upset at how much the Senate version of the bill increases the deficit — hadn't voted yet as of Thursday morning.
• A group of key holdouts left the House floor just after 1:00am and headed back to their offices, including Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who told reporters "don't take a nap" yet. Burchett has still not voted on the rule.

What they're saying: "There's no cracking of skulls ... this is part of the process. We're tying up loose ends," Johnson told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an appearance late Wednesday night.

• The speaker said he "might keep [the vote] open a little while" because "among those 'no' votes I've got a couple of folks that are actually off-site right now, had to attend family affairs or events this evening, and so some of them are on the way back."
• That includes Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), the sole centrist "no" vote on the procedural motion, who rushed out of the House chamber shortly after voting.
• Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) who doesn't typically vote down the rule, switched his vote from yea to nay last minute, and has stayed firm in his opposition.

Between the lines: Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) posted on X that she intends to support final passage of the bill, but voted against the procedural measure because of Johnson's "broken commitments."

• It's not typical for a member of the majority party to vote down the rule, and even more abnormal to vote down the rule but support final passage.
• Some members, like Spartz, are notorious for saying they're a no but voting yes.
• Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) vowed to vote no on Wednesday, but then voted yes on the rule.

Kilmar Ábrego García alleged in an amended complaint Wednesday that he "was subjected to severe mistreatment" while detained in the El Salvador mega-prison CECOT after being mistakenly deported to the country.

The big picture: The U.S. resident who spent nearly three months in CECOT is now detained in Tennessee after being returned to the U.S. and is awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

• A federal judge had last week ordered his release from prison, but another judge ruled on Monday that Ábrego García should remain in jail for now over concerns from his legal team that he could be deported if freed while awaiting trial.

Driving the news: Lawyers for Ábrego García alleged in a Wednesday filing that the father, who is originally from El Salvador, "was subjected to severe mistreatment upon arrival at CECOT, including but not limited to severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture."

Zoom in: Among the allegations outlined in the filing to the District Court of Maryland are that Ábrego García and 20 other Salvadorans were "forced to kneel" in a cell from 9pm to 6am "with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion."

• It adds, "During this time, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was denied bathroom access and soiled himself. The detainees were confined to metal bunks with no mattresses in an overcrowded cell with no windows, bright lights that remained on 24 hours a day, and minimal access to sanitation."
• Ábrego García allegedly suffered a significant deterioration in his physical condition during his first two weeks at CECOT and his weight dropped from about 215 pounds to 184lb, according to the filing.
• The lawyers allege that Ábrego García and four others were transferred in April "to a different module in CECOT, where they were photographed with mattresses and better food — photos that appeared to be staged to document improved conditions."

What they're saying: The Trump administration has accused Ábrego García of being a criminal and a member of the MS-13 gang, which his attorneys have denied.

• Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin doubled down on this assertion in a Wednesday evening statement.
• McLaughlin also called him an "alleged human trafficker, and a domestic abuser" — in reference to allegations made by his wife, who said she sought a "civil protective order" out of caution after "surviving domestic violence" in a previous relationship.
• "The media's sympathetic narrative about this criminal illegal gang member has completely fallen apart, yet they continue to peddle his sob story," McLaughlin said. "We hear far too much about gang members and criminals' false sob stories and not enough about their victims."
• Representatives for the Justice Department and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Wednesday evening.

Go deeper: White House: Report Ábrego García will be deported again "fake news"

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

The "big, beautiful bill" is a dense, 940-page bill put together last minute.

The big picture: Experts agree the breakneck speed of deliberation over what's in the bill leaves plenty of minutia and changes to sift through.

• "This is not normal," said Harris Eppsteiner, associate director of economic analysis at the Yale Budget Lab. "This pace of legislating is not what you would expect to see of a careful, well-thought out set of policies that are designed to grow the economy, help people save and help people invest."
• "I never seen something like this, to be honest," said Ignacio González, co-director of the Institute for Macroeconomic and Policy Analysis at American University.

Here's what economic and policy experts said people should watch out for with the "big, beautiful bill" as it heads to the House.

How BBB impacts gambling

Context: The new bill puts the amount gamblers can deduct from their winnings equal to 90% of their losses for a tax year. This rule would be permanent and start in 2026, said Garrett Watson, director of policy analysis at the Tax Foundation.

• This means that a hypothetical gambler who won $100,000 but lost $100,000 would have to pay taxes on $10,000 of income.

What they're saying: "Even if you break even, you'll still have a tax liability under this proposal," Watson said. "There could be scenarios where folks have a tax liability that matches or exceeds the amount that they earn."

• Pro poker player Phil Galfond said on X this amendment "would end professional gambling in the US and hurt casual gamblers."

Charitable giving

What to know: Under current law, taxpayers who itemize their deductions can receive deductions from charitable donations, Watson said. The new bill allows those who take the standard deduction to deduct up to $1,000 (single) or $2,000 (joint).

• Most Americans don't itemize their tax reductions, Watson said, but this gives people the chance to benefit.
• "Many people give at least some things during a year that could qualify," Watson said. "They can take that and then take that deduction from their taxes and it reduces their taxable income, reduces their tax liability at the end of the day. "

Car loan interest and the BBB

The current version includes an auto loan interest deductible, which includes provisions that expire in 2028. Some taxpayers could deduct up to $10,000 of annual interest on new auto loans, according to Watson.

• Loans for used cars would not qualify under the Senate version, Watson said, and the benefit only applies to new autos assembled in the United States.

Reality check: Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at market research firm Cox Automotive, downplayed the benefits of it, saying a new loan would see roughly $500 in savings.

• "The interest payment on an average loan being closer to $3000 in interest in a calendar year and declining over time," he said in an earnings call in June. "So when you factor in what that really means to your taxes of taking the credit, it essentially is not even what a single monthly payment turns out to be."

(Disclosure: Cox Automotive is owned by Cox Enterprises, which also owns Axios.)

Rising electricity bills due to BBB

Context: The bill phases out tax credits for solar and wind projects -- meaning that development will slow and consumers will face higher prices.

• This is happening at a time when electricity demand has risen given its needed for artificial intelligence and data centers.
• "They're going to face higher electricity" rates, said Natasha Sarin, president and co-founder of the Budget Lab at Yale.

Energy economists and others have been predicting prices will rise. Republicans argue that over time, as more generation is added, prices will level out and eventually drop.

Consumer protections targeted in BBB

Funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a small operation that fights big businesses on behalf of American consumers, has been slashed by about half in the new bill.

• The CFPB has already been limping along after layoffs and legal troubles.

The severed funding could lead to hundreds of job cuts and severely disarm a group that has returned billions to American consumers for more than a decade, according to AP.

• "Consumers will be more likely to fall victim to shady financial industry practices, hidden fees, and other scams because of this devastating budget cut," said Chuck Bell, advocacy program director at Consumer Reports, in a statement.

Go deeper: The big, beautiful bill has a big image issue