The meteoric rise of generative AI promises to revolutionize the way we interact with technology, from creating new tools and services to augment our lives to completely reconfiguring how industries work. As companies such as Facebook increasingly turn to its capabilities for their own advantage, it’ll be interesting to see what else comes next.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has outlined the company’s long-term plan: to create “AI personas” that can help people in a variety of ways. However, much foundational work must be done before these futuristic experiences can be shared with users. Zuckerberg cautioned that the team won’t rush this process, instead focusing on building creative tools first.
Meta is a new tech company that is leveraging text-based AI tools on WhatsApp and Messenger. This could be a fun use case for users, but Meta could eventually leverage these features by offering them to businesses in areas such as sales and customer support.
Both Instagram and Facebook are continuing to experiment with AI-aided filters and ad formats. These updates may help boost engagement on these platforms, as well as provide more varied and interesting experiences for users.
Axios reports that Ahmad Al-Dahle, a former Apple executive, will lead the team responsible for developing the company’s long-awaited virtual assistant. Chris Cox, the Chief Product Officer at Apple, will report to Al Dahle. The announcement of this project comes after reportedly months of secrecy and development.
One of the most talked about new technologies right now is generative AI. Google’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing search are two major implementations of this technology. Facebook-rival Snapchat also launched a custom-trained chatbot for its paid subscribers this month. These tools allow users to communicate with computers in ways they never could before, greatly expanding the range of capabilities that machines have access to.
There are many ways for companies to generate revenue and Meta is no different. Last week, the company debuted the Meta Verified subscription program, but like we have seen with other social networks, paid plans are yet to show a semblance of a major revenue driver. Instead, the company is looking to rely on its users to generate authenticity and trust through referrals. So far, this strategy seems to be working asMeta has reportedly overtaken Facebook in terms of daily active users according to Sensor Tower research. However, it will likely take more than gimmicky subscription programs and celebrity endorsements from Zuckerberg’s team of AI experts before Meta reaches profitability.
