Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has made several announcements regarding its upcoming AI-powered bots, features, and products. These new additions, which include an AI assistant and image editing capabilities, aim to enhance the user experience and make Meta’s technology even more engaging and addictive.
Key Takeaway
Meta has unveiled an array of AI-powered features, including an AI assistant, AI personality chatbots, AI Studio for businesses and creators, AI stickers, and AI image editing capabilities. These enhancements aim to offer users more creative and engaging experiences across Meta’s messaging apps, virtual reality headsets, and upcoming smart glasses. Powered by the Llama 2 language model and the Emu image generation model, these AI features showcase Meta’s commitment to leveraging generative AI technology to provide innovative and addictive experiences to its users.
AI Assistant, Backed by Bing
The AI assistant developed by Meta is designed to provide real-time information and generate photorealistic images based on text prompts. It can assist users in planning trips, answer general knowledge questions, and perform web searches through Microsoft’s Bing search engine to deliver up-to-date results. Powered by Llama 2, Meta’s advanced language model, the AI assistant incorporates natural conversation datasets to respond in a conversational and friendly manner. Initially available in beta on WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram in the US, it will soon be integrated into the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and the Quest 3 VR headset.
AI Personality Chatbots Based on Celebrities
Meta has introduced 28 AI personality chatbots inspired by famous individuals from sports, music, social media, and more. Each personality, such as “Bru” based on football star Tom Brady or “Tamika” inspired by tennis player Naomi Osaka, offers topic-specific conversations that users can engage with on messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. These AI personalities, built on the Llama 2 language model, primarily rely on information predating 2023, but Meta plans to integrate its Bing search function in the near future to provide real-time updates. Currently, these chatbots respond through text, with audio capabilities expected to be added next year.
AI Studio for Businesses and Creators
Meta’s AI Studio platform allows businesses to create AI chatbots tailored to their brand values and improve customer service experiences on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. Initially available in alpha, AI Studio will gradually expand its toolkit starting next year. Additionally, creators will have the opportunity to leverage AI Studio to extend their virtual presence across Meta’s apps, subject to approval and control by the creators themselves. Meta also plans to launch a sandbox in the coming year, enabling anyone to experiment with AI creation and contribute to the metaverse.
AI Stickers, Powered by Emu
Meta announced the introduction of generative AI stickers, enabled by the Emu model for image generation, across its messaging apps. This feature facilitates the creation of unique AI stickers within seconds on platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook Stories. Users can simply type in their desired images, and Emu will generate multiple options for instant sharing. Initially available in English, the feature will gradually roll out over the next month.
AI Image Editing — Restyling Photos and Adding Backdrops
In the near future, Meta users will have the ability to transform their images and co-create AI-generated images together. Two upcoming features, restyle and backdrop, will be accessible on Instagram in the US and will be powered by Emu technology. Restyle allows users to reimagine the visual styles of their photos by inputting prompts like “watercolor” or more detailed instructions. Backdrop, on the other hand, changes the scene or background of an image based on prompts. To ensure transparency, AI-generated images will be marked as such to avoid confusion with human-produced content.
