Meta has unveiled a series of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools during an internal company meeting.
The tools showcased include chatbots similar to ChatGPT, designed for Messenger and WhatsApp, capable of engaging in conversations with different personas as well as a preview of a potential new app to compete with Twitter (codenamed Project 92).
The meeting, attended by Meta employees globally, featured commentary from the company’s CTO, chief product officer, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Meta also revealed upcoming features, such as an Instagram tool that modifies user photos using text prompts and another feature for creating emoji stickers for messaging services. These announcements come amidst Meta’s struggles, including layoffs and a significant loss in value after a disappointing earnings report. While Meta has invested heavily in developing its metaverse project, competitors like Google, Microsoft, and Snapchat have garnered attention for their generative AI products, leaving Meta playing catch-up.
Despite this, Meta has not yet released any consumer-facing generative AI products. In an attempt to catch up, Meta has been reorganizing its AI divisions and investing in infrastructure. Zuckerberg stated that recent advancements in generative AI have allowed Meta to incorporate the technology into all of its products. Additionally, Meta introduced a productivity assistant called Metamate that can answer queries and perform tasks based on internal company information.
Some of Meta’s tools will be built around open-source models, which has raised concerns about the potential for misuse and the spread of misinformation. Zuckerberg addressed these concerns, emphasising the value of democratizing access to AI and expressing hope that users could build their own AI programs without relying solely on large technology companies.
Why is this important?
Meta appears to be scrambling to pivot its huge investment in the Metaverse technology to catch up with its main tech rival’s focus on AI.
However, despite the increased focus on AI, Meta still remains committed to its metaverse plans, given its significant levels of cash investment and Zuckerberg continues to emphasise that Meta will continue to focus on both AI and the metaverse moving forward. One thing for certain is that we can expect an increase in AI-related products and announcements from the tech giant in the coming months and how it intends to create a new ‘Twitter’.