Meta has introduced a new range of chatbots with distinct “personalities” for its Messenger service, specializing in various subjects such as holiday planning and culinary advice. This development marks a significant step in the ongoing competition among tech giants to develop more personalized and accurate AI chatbots.
During Meta’s first in-person event in California since the onset of the pandemic, CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that the chatbots are still under development and have certain “limitations.” He reflected on the past year, calling it an “amazing year for AI.”
The primary chatbot, named “Meta AI,” is designed to interact with users in messaging, helping settle debates or answering various questions. This chatbot is based on Llama 2, a large language model that Meta released for commercial use in July. While the BBC has not had the opportunity to test the chatbot, several celebrities, including Snoop Dogg and Kendall Jenner, have collaborated with Meta to infuse their personalities into different chatbots.
Zuckerberg emphasized that the goal is not just to create chatbots that answer questions but also to provide entertainment. NFL star Tom Brady and YouTube sensation MrBeast are among those who will lend their personas to AI characters, adding a humorous and engaging element to the interactions.
Initially, these chatbots will be available only in the US, with a broader rollout planned for the future. Zuckerberg also delved into discussions about the metaverse, a virtual world concept on which he has invested tens of billions of dollars. Despite the significant investment, Meta’s venture into the metaverse and VR has faced challenges, with the VR division reporting substantial losses.
The announcement of the new Quest 3 headset, described as the first “mainstream” mixed reality headset, signifies Meta’s commitment to making VR technology accessible to the mass market, contrasting with Apple’s high-end approach.
Interestingly, Meta’s announcement coincided with OpenAI’s revelation that its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, now has the capability to browse the internet for real-time information, a feature that was previously unavailable as the system was trained only on data up until September 2021.