Meta Launches AI Assistant Across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp

Meta has launched Meta AI, a chatbot similar to ChatGPT that is now accessible on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Meta AI enables users to obtain answers to queries directly within Meta’s suite of apps.

First revealed at Meta’s Connect event last September, Meta AI can respond to user queries, like answering questions, using natural language.

Users can prompt it for restaurant recommendations, ask for help with math problems and generate more professional-sounding emails.

Credit: Meta

The chatbot works across Meta’s app portfolio excluding its Twitter rival Threads. It answers queries in app and is designed to prevent users from having to bounce from one to another.

The assistant is also available in Feeds enabling users to prompt Meta AI while scrolling. This allows users to inquire about posts they come across such as requesting details about an image seen on Instagram.

Credit: Meta

Meta AI can also generate images thanks to Emu, the underlying image generation model built directly into Meta AI. It allows users to create high-quality images in a chat for free.

The Emu model has been enhanced, resulting in sharper and higher-quality generated images. Additionally, users can include text in images.

The assistant can also make gifs.

Meta AI-generated images and gifs will, however, feature an “imagined with AI” watermark in the corner of the images it creates. Meta recently announced that all AI-generated content on its platforms will have to be labeled as part of an overhaul of its content policies.

Related:Meta Unveils Llama 3, the Most Powerful Open Source Model Yet

Meta AI is now available to users in more than a dozen countries, including South Africa, Australia and Canada, however, it’s currently limited to only responding to user queries in English.

Previously powered by Llama 2, Meta announced that its new Llama 3 large language model is now the underlying system behind Meta AI. The chatbot also has access to real-time information from Microsoft Bing.

“With our most powerful large language model under the hood, Meta AI is better than ever,” a Meta announcement read.

“We’re excited to share our next-generation assistant with even more people and can’t wait to see how it enhances people’s lives,” Meta said.

The model powering Meta AI was trained on a dataset seven times larger than the one used to build Llama 2, with synthetic data making up a sizable portion of the corpus.

“Every foundational model is trained on a combination of human insights and synthetic data, and Llama 3 is no exception,” said Olga Megorskaya, CEO of Toloka AI. “As accelerating progress continues, models are now commodities, with the underlying data delivering the most value and serving as the main differentiator. High quality, diverse datasets offer companies the biggest opportunity to stand out.”

Related:Meta Unveils New Image-Generation Model, AI Assistant as AI Race Heats Up