Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is making strides in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and digital assistants. CEO Mark Zuckerberg showcased these advancements at Meta’s recent Connect conference for VR developers. The company aims to leverage these technologies to drive the growth of the metaverse.
One of the notable AI tools demonstrated by Zuckerberg is the ability for users of Facebook’s messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Messenger, to generate digital stickers through written prompts. By simply typing a prompt like “pizza playing basketball,” users can create a customized digital sticker of a cartoonish pizza slice holding a basketball. This feature capitalizes on the popularity of technologies like ChatGPT, which generates responses to text queries.
Zuckerberg also highlighted new AI-powered editing tools for Instagram that will allow users to modify their photos with written prompts. Using various prompts, he showed how they could alter one of his childhood photos to depict him wearing an ugly sweater or sporting blue hair. Additionally, Meta’s Emu computer vision model powers these AI tools, allowing for the generation of images in just five seconds.
The introduction of Meta’s AI digital assistant, similar to ChatGPT, is another significant development. This digital assistant can access Microsoft’s Bing search engine to provide real-time information for prompt-based queries. Meta has also partnered with celebrities like Paris Hilton, Mr. Beast, and Kendall Jenner to represent digital characters. These celebrities lend their voices and personas to the digital assistant experience. For instance, users can ask a digital assistant named Lorena, played by Padma Lakshmi, travel-related questions and expect travel-specific tips.
Zuckerberg emphasized Meta’s dedication to AI investments, noting their connection to the development of the metaverse. The recently announced Ray-Ban smart glasses, created in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, integrate Meta’s AI software. The glasses enable wearers to identify landmarks and translate signs, enhancing the user’s augmented reality experience. Zuckerberg believes that AI advancements will be a crucial factor in the widespread adoption of smart glasses.
Meta’s advancements in AI and digital assistants align with its ambitious plans for the metaverse, a digital universe that the company is investing heavily in. While past Connect conferences focused more on virtual reality, Zuckerberg’s increased emphasis on AI reflects its integral role in realizing the metaverse’s potential. By building a strong AI foundation, Meta aims to create a dynamic and interactive digital world.
As Meta continues to innovate in AI and develop its metaverse ecosystem, the integration of these technologies will undoubtedly reshape the way we interact with digital media and each other. The future of social experiences, virtual reality, and smart devices appears to be tightly intertwined with the advancements being made in AI by companies like Meta.