British actress Judi Dench is one of the celebrity voices used in Meta’s new AI voice chatbot program. (ANGELA WEISS)
Meta on Wednesday released AI chatbots voiced by Hollywood celebrities including Judi Dench and John Cena, as it looks to tap into billions of users eager to adopt artificial intelligence.
At the company’s annual product launch event, CEO Mark Zuckerberg also unveiled a prototype of normal-looking augmented reality glasses that the company hopes will one day replace smartphones.
Social media giant Meta is expanding into AI, virtual reality and augmented reality applications in an effort to diversify its revenue streams.
But the company has yet to convince investors that it needs to shift away from its profitable ad-based business model.
“I think voice has the potential to become one of the most frequent ways that we interact with AI,” Zuckerberg said, demonstrating a conversation with an AI version of singer Awkwafina.
“It’s gotten a lot better,” he said.
The release follows OpenAI’s controversial ChatGPT voice feature, which drew criticism for sounding similar to actress Scarlett Johansson’s voice.
Meta has received permission from celebrities who appear in its audio tools, which are available on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.
However, due to EU data protection laws, Meta AI is not accessible in Europe.
Meta’s AI relies on data from the company’s platform’s vast user base, a practice that could violate data privacy laws in Europe.
Meta AI is similar to ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, an assistant that can answer questions, create images, write messages and even act as a companion.
The company reports that Meta AI is already used by more than 400 million people every month, and it aims to make it the “most widely used AI assistant” by the end of the year.
But critics say Meta’s AI can easily be confused with the search functions of WhatsApp or Instagram, meaning many users may come across it unintentionally.
– “A big hurdle” –
Competition in the AI space is fierce, with Google and Microsoft leading the way with productivity features and Apple entering the market with its AI-enabled iPhones.
These developments require significant resources and have a significant impact on a company’s budget.
Despite concerns about its heavy spending on AI and VR, Meta’s profits and stock price have soared on strong advertising results on Facebook and Instagram.
“Meta isn’t necessarily the first brand that comes to mind when thinking about AI, and their biggest hurdles will be privacy and trust,” said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies.
Meta is hoping to change perceptions with its new AR glasses called Orion.
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These glasses resemble thick-rimmed reading glasses, but can display holographic text messages and apps, as well as place video calls within the user’s field of vision.
Although the product is still years away from being released, Zuckerberg sees it as a potential hands-free alternative to smartphones.
The company is also focusing on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses that can function as earbuds, take photos and videos, and said they will soon include live translation capabilities.
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