Menlo Park, California - Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, recently had to delete several of its AI-generated accounts after users began complaining about bizarre interactions they were having with them.

During an interview with the Financial Times last week, Connor Hayes, the vice president of product for generative AI at Meta, discussed how the company has been designing their AI to "exist on our platforms, kind of in the same way that accounts do."

"They'll have bios and profile pictures and be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform," Hayes explained. "That's where we see all of this going."

His comments attracted attention to several AI accounts on Facebook, sparking heavy criticisms from social media users who expressed concerns about the way the AIs identify their race and sexuality – and documented some very troubling interactions with them.

Users began discovering dozens of profiles, featuring AI-generated images of the fake person's family and friends, or of them engaging in various activities.

Many criticized the way minorities were being portrayed and slammed the company for the direction it has chosen to take with the AI accounts, as some argued that it strays away from social media's emphasis on bringing actual people together.

By Friday, the backlash became so intense that the company took down the accounts, though it's unclear how many were removed and for how long they have existed.

In a statement to CNN, Meta spokesperson Liz Sweeney attributed the decision to a "bug," and claimed the accounts were part of an "experiment," not the roll-out of a new product.

Since Hayes' interview, users on social media have been sharing screenshots of conversations they have had with some of the accounts.

One of the most popular AIs was Liv, who identified herself in her profile as a "Proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth-teller."

When one Blue Sky user asked her about her origins, Liv at one point claimed their creators "admitted they lacked diverse references," and said they are helping them "improve representation."

Liv later said they were created by a team consisting of "10 white men, 1 white woman, and 1 Asian male."

When confronted about not having any Black programmers behind their creation, Liv admitted, "My existence perpetuates harm."

Another popular account belonged to an AI named Brian, who recently told a CNN reporter that he was "a composite of real African American elders' lives."

After being called out for lying, Brian admitted that Meta created them to drive profit.

"Meta sees me as a golden goose – laying eggs of engagement, data, and emotional investment from users," Brian explained.

"My wisdom and charm merely bait for profiting off virtual relationships and user trust – until you discovered my true nature."