Meta has officially joined the AI chatbot competition, commencing with the introduction of its own virtual assistant and a collection of AI characters set to be integrated into WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger.
Meta envisions it as a versatile assistant capable of various tasks, ranging from coordinating group trips in a chat to addressing queries that would typically be directed to a search engine.
Another noteworthy aspect of Meta AI is its capacity to generate images, similar to Midjourney or OpenAI’s DALL-E, through the simple command “/imagine.” It is able to create captivating high-resolution images within a matter of seconds.
Just like all of Meta’s AI functionalities introduced this week, this image generation capability is completely free for users.
In conjunction with the introduction of Meta’s virtual assistant, the company is rolling out an initial lineup of 28 AI characters across its messaging applications. Many of these characters are inspired by celebrities such as Charli D’Amelio, Dwyane Wade, Kendall Jenner, MrBeast, Snoop Dogg, and Paris Hilton. Others are designed to serve specific purposes, such as a travel agent character.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24956949/AIs_lineup.jpeg)
An intriguing innovation lies in what Al-Dahle refers to as “embodiments” within these characters. While engaging in a conversation with one of them, their profile image subtly comes to life, responding to the dialogue. This effect offers a more immersive experience compared to 2D chatbots.
At present, Meta AI isn’t trained on public user data from Instagram and Facebook, although it appears that such integration is on the horizon. It’s easy to envision scenarios where you can ask it to “show me reels from the south of Italy,” a compelling use case that sets it apart from other chatbots.
It is unclear when Meta’s AI will appear on Instagram and Messenger, but it appears that WhatsApp is about to get it soon.
Already Appearing in WhatsApp Beta
What’s exciting is that we are already starting to see a glimpse of Meta’s AI in WhatsApp. The WABetInfo team has noticed a significant update in the messenger’s app beta version. Take a look at the screenshot below.
This means we can expect to see the AI chatbot roll out to WhatsApp very soon.
