Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is stepping into the AI chatbot arena with the launch of several new AI-powered bots across its messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. The beta version of these bots is now available for select users in the United States.
Key Takeaway
Meta is launching new AI-powered chatbots across its messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. Meta AI, an AI assistant, stands out as a fully automated and highly capable chatbot that can provide concise answers and perform various tasks.
Introducing Meta AI: Your Personal AI Assistant
One of the notable chatbots is Meta AI, an AI assistant that bears a striking resemblance to other chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude 2. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced during the Meta Connect conference that Meta AI will also be available on the newly announced Quest 3 VR headset. This AI assistant can perform various tasks such as helping users plan group trips, answering general-knowledge questions, and providing real-time web results through Microsoft’s Bing search engine.
While Meta AI brings back memories of Facebook’s previous virtual assistant, M, there are notable differences. M was limited to around 2,000 users in California and relied partly on human assistance. In contrast, Meta AI is fully automated, equipped with a “custom-made” large language model that can refer back to previous conversations and offer concise answers.
Extending the Chatbot Family: AI Characters
In addition to Meta AI, Meta has unveiled a series of “AI characters” that are designed to mimic the personalities of celebrities. These chatbots, featuring personalities like Kendall Jenner, Dwyane Wade, MrBeast, Paris Hilton, Charli D’Amelio, and Snoop Dogg, will also reside within Meta’s messaging apps. As users interact with these chatbots, their avatars subtly animate based on the conversation.
While the concept of these AI characters is intriguing, recent experiences with AI chatbots have shown that they can sometimes generate inaccurate or irrelevant responses. Meta acknowledges this challenge and claims to have put in extensive effort to address potential issues before releasing the chatbots to the public. They have also implemented technologies to detect and take action against content that violates their policies and have restricted web searching capabilities to Meta AI only.
Despite these measures, the real-world performance of these new chatbots will ultimately determine their effectiveness and accuracy.
In conclusion, Meta’s introduction of new AI-powered chatbots across its messaging apps, along with the launch of Meta AI as a fully automated assistant, demonstrates the company’s commitment to harnessing the potential of AI technology in enhancing user experiences and interactions within their platforms.
