India, April 13 -- Meta Platforms is developing a photorealistic, AI-powered character modeled on CEO Mark Zuckerberg, with plans to deploy it for employee engagement in his stead, the Financial Times reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Zuckerberg is personally involved in training and testing the avatar. The character is being built on his publicly available statements, mannerisms, tone, and recent thinking on company strategy. Once ready, it could offer conversation and feedback to employees across the company.

The project is part of Meta's broader work on AI-powered 3D characters designed for real-time interaction. The company recently began prioritizing the Zuckerberg character within that effort, according to t...