Meta joins Google, Microsoft and other big names in supporting ChatGPT-style AI. Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that his company plans to develop “AI personalities” in the long term. He is currently researching helpers for multiple media formats. You could see advanced chat features on Messenger and WhatsApp, or unique Instagram filters and ads. Video and “multimodal” content could also benefit, Zuckerberg says. In the near future, he will see an emphasis on tools for creation and expression.
The social media giant is also bundling its generative AI teams into one group to help “jump start” efforts in the emerging field, the executive adds. He does not provide further details, advising that there is “a lot of fundamental work to be done” before the more advanced projects come to fruition.
The company is not new to some level of user-facing AI. It introduced chatbots to Messenger in 2016, for example. However, this represents a significant expansion and is not surprising given the increasing industry focus on generative AI. Internet giants like Google are reportedly feeling competitive pressure from OpenAI’s ChatGPT as it could theoretically undermine search and other key businesses. Zuckerberg said during Meta’s latest earnings call that he wanted the company to be a “leader” in generative AI, but this can also represent a defensive tool.
However, the change does not come at a great time. Meta’s revenue is still shrinking, and its turn into the metaverse is costing its Reality Labs unit billions of dollars. It recently cut more than 11,000 jobs to cut costs and weather a tough economy. While platforms like Facebook and Instagram continue to gain users, the company is not as stable as it once was.
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