Meta’s Latest Moves to Showcase its AI Services on Multiple Platforms

Today, Meta is taking major steps to promote its AI solutions across its platform. The tech giant has announced significant upgrades to its AI chatbot, introducing its newest Large Language Model, Llama 3. The company is now running it on the search bar of its four major apps – Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp – in multiple countries. Alongside this, Meta has also launched several other new features, including faster image generation and access to web search results.

This confirms and extends a test that was reported by TechCrunch last week when it was revealed that Meta was already testing Meta AI on Instagram’s search bar.

In addition to these updates, the company has also unveiled a new meta.ai website for users to easily access the chatbot.

Meta’s latest move highlights its dedication and efforts to establish a leading position in the current hype for generative AI among consumers. In comparison to other popular AI services in the market, including those from OpenAI, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that Meta AI is “probably the most intelligent AI assistant that you can freely use.”

The company first launched Meta AI in the United States last year. It is now extending the chatbot’s reach to over a dozen countries where English is commonly spoken, such as Australia, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

However, it is worth noting that India and Nigeria, where Meta AI was recently tested, were not included in today’s announcement. In a statement, a company spokesperson mentioned that Meta plans to continue testing the chatbot in India.

This confirms and extends a test that was reported by TechCrunch last week when we spotted that the company had started testing Meta AI on Instagram’s search bar.

New Features to Enhance User Experience

Meta AI was previously able to provide writing and recipe suggestions. However, with these latest updates, users can now ask for web-related results, powered by Google and Bing.

• Users can also request Meta AI to animate images or turn them into GIFs. As they type, they can see the AI technology modifying the image in real-time.
• The company has also improved the image quality of AI-generated photos.

Another common issue with AI-powered image-generation tools is inaccurate spelling of words. However, Meta claims that its new model has shown significant improvements in this area as well.

Note: All AI-powered features are constantly updated to provide better and more accurate results.

Meta said that it is also making image generation faster. Plus, they can ask Meta AI to animate an image or turn an image into a GIF.

AI Everywhere, All at Once

Meta is taking an all-encompassing approach by making Meta AI available in as many places as possible. The chatbot is not just limited to the search bar, but it can also be accessed in individual and group chats, as well as in the feed of its various apps.

The company stated that users can now ask Meta AI questions related to posts in their Facebook feed. For example, if someone sees a photo of the aurora borealis, they can ask the chatbot for suggestions on the best time to visit Iceland to see the Northern Lights.

Aside from smartphones and tablets, Meta AI is also available on the Ray-Ban smart glasses. Furthermore, the company has confirmed that the chatbot will soon be accessible on its Meta Quest headset as well.

While having AI technology readily available on multiple platforms may seem like a convenience for users, there are also downsides that need to be addressed. One of the most significant concerns is that these AI models can sometimes produce nonsensical and irrelevant responses, posing a potential content moderation challenge for the company.

In a recent incident reported by 404Media, Meta AI, while chatting in a parents’ group, claimed to have a “gifted and academically challenged child” who attended a specific school in New York. This raised red flags for the parents, and Meta eventually removed the response, stating that the company is continuously working to improve its AI models.

When asked about this issue, Meta responded by saying, “We share information within the features themselves to help people understand that AI might return inaccurate or inappropriate outputs. Since we launched, we’ve constantly released updates and improvements to our models, and we’re continuing to work on making them better.”

…this raised red flags for the parents, and Meta eventually removed the response, stating that the company is continuously working to improve its AI models.

The goal for Meta is to have AI technology readily available in as many places as possible. However, there are still challenges that need to be addressed, and the company is constantly working on improving its systems.