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In a bid to redefine our digital interactions, Meta has unveiled a captivating lineup of chatbots for its Messenger service. These chatbots come with distinctive personalities and expertise in a range of subjects, from holiday recommendations to culinary advice. Meta's foray into this chatbot revolution is part of a fierce competition among tech giants to deliver AI experiences that are not just precise but deeply personalized.
During a high-profile event in California, which marked Meta's first in-person gathering since the onset of the pandemic, CEO Mark Zuckerberg celebrated the strides made in AI over the past year. Central to Meta's chatbot ecosystem is the "Meta AI," a versatile chatbot designed for use in messaging. Users can engage with Meta AI for settling disputes or seeking answers to various questions, ushering in a new dimension of conversation.
While the BBC has not yet put the chatbot to the test, it is worth noting that Meta AI is built on Llama 2, the impressive language model that Meta made available for public commercial use in July. Adding an extra layer of intrigue, several celebrities have joined forces with Meta to lend their personas to these chatbots. Notably, Snoop Dogg and Kendall Jenner are among the notable personalities involved, aiming to create chatbots that go beyond answering questions and delve into the realm of entertainment.
Mark Zuckerberg emphasized the broader vision for these chatbots, stating, "This isn't just going to be about answering queries; this is about entertainment." Yet, it's important to acknowledge that there are still limitations surrounding the range of queries these chatbots can address effectively.
The deployment of these chatbots will begin in the coming days, starting exclusively in the United States. However, this innovative venture into AI is just one facet of Meta's ambitious journey. During the event, Zuckerberg also delved into the metaverse—a virtual world concept that has consumed substantial resources. Despite prior announcements, Meta shed more light on its forthcoming virtual reality headset, Quest 3. Described as the first "mainstream" mixed reality headset, Quest 3 incorporates forward-facing cameras to enable augmented reality experiences, hitting the market on October 10.
While Meta continues to invest heavily in the metaverse, it faces financial challenges, with its VR division incurring significant losses in 2022. Nevertheless, Meta's pursuit of a mass-market VR headset distinguishes it from Apple's high-end tech-focused approach with the Vision Pro.
