Meta Unveils New AI Tools and Digital Assistants to Advance the Metaverse

Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has recently introduced a range of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and digital assistants in its quest to develop and advance the metaverse. These new offerings were showcased by Zuckerberg during Meta’s Connect conference for virtual reality (VR) developers, held at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California.

One of the key highlights is the integration of AI software into Facebook’s various messaging applications, such as WhatsApp and Messenger. This integration enables users to create and share digital stickers by simply providing written prompts. For instance, users can generate a whimsical sticker of a pizza slice playing basketball by typing “pizza playing basketball.”

Zuckerberg also demonstrated new AI-powered editing tools that will soon be available on Instagram. These tools allow users to modify their photos based on written prompts, offering a fun and creative way to enhance images. By using different prompts, Zuckerberg transformed one of his childhood photos to depict himself wearing an ugly sweater in one image and sporting blue hair in another, while even converting a picture of his dog into an origami figurine.

Backing these AI tools is Meta’s Emu computer vision model, which can generate images in just five seconds. Zuckerberg expressed his excitement about this technology, stating, “My kids tell me it’s still not fast enough, but five seconds gets to a point where you’re really cooking.”

Furthermore, Meta has introduced its own AI digital assistant, similar to ChatGPT, which can deliver sophisticated answers to textual queries. This digital assistant can access Microsoft’s Bing search engine to provide real-time information when responding to prompts.

To make digital characters more relatable, Meta has partnered with celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Mr. Beast, and Kendall Jenner. These celebrities represent various digital characters that users can interact with. For instance, users can engage with a digital assistant named Lorena, portrayed by celebrity Padma Lakshmi, to obtain travel-related tips. Moreover, users can even enjoy a game of Dungeons & Dragons with a narrator, played by the rapper Snoop Dog.

Meta aims to create a fully immersive metaverse, a digital universe that serves as the next-generation computing platform. While Zuckerberg is a staunch supporter of the metaverse, he has shifted his focus to AI during recent Connect conferences. He believes that AI investments play a vital role in laying the foundation for the metaverse. This sentiment is evident in Meta’s collaboration with EssilorLuxottica to develop Ray-Ban smart glasses, embedded with AI software that enables users to identify landmarks and translate signs.

The integration of AI into smart glasses has become a key priority for Meta. Zuckerberg stated, “Before this last year of AI breakthroughs, I kind of thought that smart glasses were only really going to become ubiquitous once we really dialed in, you know, the holograms and the displays and all of that stuff, which we’re making progress on.” He further emphasized the importance of AI in making smart glasses more compelling.