On Thursday, Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, provided its employees with an exclusive look at several upcoming AI tools. These include advanced chatbots for Messenger and WhatsApp that will be capable of engaging with users through various personas, resembling the features of ChatGPT.
During a company-wide meeting, executives showcased a new feature for Instagram which allows users to modify their photos using text prompts. They also unveiled a tool that creates personalized emoji stickers for messaging services. This presentation was summarized by a Meta spokesperson following the meeting.
The event marked a significant step forward in Meta’s initiative to integrate generative AI across its platforms, joining other major players like Google, Microsoft, and Snapchat who have rapidly introduced similar tools into their services over the past few months.
Although Meta has yet to launch generative AI products for consumers, the company previously announced plans to partner with a select group of advertisers to pilot AI tools aimed at generating image backgrounds and variations of written content for advertising campaigns.
In preparation for these advancements, Meta has been restructuring its AI divisions and investing substantially in its infrastructure, having acknowledged early last year that its existing hardware and software were inadequate for its AI product goals.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, addressed employees during the session, explaining that recent breakthroughs in generative AI have enabled the company to incorporate this technology into “every single one of our products.”
Besides tools for consumer use, executives also announced the development of a productivity assistant named Metamate. This assistant is designed to help employees by responding to inquiries and completing tasks based on information sourced from internal company systems.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
