Meta AI Assistants, officially launched with voiced by Hollywood celebrities like John Cena and Judi Dench. This bold move reflects Meta’s confidence that its vast user base is ready to embrace artificial intelligence in a more personal way.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Meta, emphasized the transformative power of voice interaction during the company’s annual product presentation. “I think that voice has the potential to be one of, if not the most frequent ways, that we all interact with AI. It is just a lot better,” he stated.
This deployment follows closely on the heels of OpenAI’s recent unveiling of a similar voice feature for ChatGPT, which faced backlash over its resemblance to actress Scarlett Johansson’s voice.
While Meta AI will be accessible across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, it will not be available in Europe due to stringent compliance issues with EU data protection laws, which could lead to hefty fines. Meta’s AI leverages content and data from its extensive user base, a practice that is subject to multiple obligations and safeguards in European territories.
The Rise of Meta AI Assistants: A New Contender in AI Technology
As one of the prominent AI assistants in the market, Meta AI Assistants competes with services like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. This assistant can answer questions, generate images, craft messages, and even provide companionship.
Notably, Meta has reported that over 400 million users engage with Meta AI Assistants at least once a month, with aspirations to make it “the most widely used AI assistant by the end of the year.” However, some critics note that many users inadvertently encounter Meta AI, as it has replaced the search function in applications like WhatsApp.
In the wake of ChatGPT’s success, tech giants have been aggressively developing AI applications that generate high-quality content from straightforward prompts. The competition is intense, with Google and Microsoft leading the charge in productivity features, while Apple has recently entered the fray with AI-enabled iPhones. These sophisticated models demand substantial technical infrastructure, energy, and skilled engineers, significantly affecting company resources.
Meta believes that its enhanced Meta AI Assistants offer a more natural conversational experience, capable of verbal interaction and image analysis. Similar to other chatbots, it can suggest recipes based on food images or edit pictures per user requests.
Despite ongoing concerns about the high expenditures on AI and virtual reality, Meta has witnessed a remarkable surge in profits, with its share price rising 60% since the start of the year, driven by robust advertising revenues. Nevertheless, the company’s significant investments in AI and virtual reality technologies remain a source of apprehension for investors and industry watchers.
Also Read: Meta Trains AI with Public Content from Facebook and Instagram
Analyst Carolina Milanesi from Creative Strategies expressed, “When I think about AI, Meta is not necessarily the first brand that comes to mind. Their biggest hurdle will be privacy and trust; many consumers will be skeptical about their data being used for other purposes.”
Also Read: Meta Improves Parental Controls on Instagram
