As part of Meta Connect 2023 today. Meta announced a new chatbot experience called, naturally, Met Meta AI. It's also partnering with another company that knows something about chatbots, Microsoft.
In today's announcement, Meta stated that Meta AI is now available in beta in the US. It's accessible on Meta's social media and chat services, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. Meta says:
It’s powered by a custom model that leverages technology from Llama 2 and our latest large language model (LLM) research. In text-based chats, Meta AI has access to real-time information through our search partnership with Bing and offers a tool for image generation.
In its own announcement on the official Bing blog, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer Yusuf Mehdi commented on the new partnership with Meta:
In addition to copilots across the portfolio of Microsoft products, we are a platform company that provides the tools and services needed for others to succeed in their AI ambitions. Which is why today, we're thrilled to announce that we’ve begun to work with Meta to integrate Bing into Meta AI’s chat experiences enabling more timely and up-to-date answers with access to real-time search information. Bing’s integration extends to Meta AI and a few of Meta’s other AIs available to message with in WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.
Those "other AIs" are likely a reference to a number of character-themed AIs from Meta that are launching today in the US. They are supposed to offer users some variety in terms of a chatbot's personality and backstory. Meta has worked with a number of well-known celebrities and social media influencers to create these Meta AI characters. They include:
- Charli D’Amelio as Coco, Dance enthusiast
- Chris Paul as Perry, Pro golfer helping you perfect your stroke
- Dwyane Wade as Victor, Ironman triathlete motivating you to be your best self
- Izzy Adesanya as Luiz, Showy MMA prospect who can back up his trash talk
- Kendall Jenner as Billie, No-BS, ride-or-die companion
- LaurDIY as Dylan, Quirky DIY and Craft expert and companion for Gen Z
- MrBeast as Zach, The big brother who will roast you — because he cares
- Naomi Osaka as Tamika, Anime-obsessed Sailor Senshi in training
- Paris Hilton as Amber, Detective partner for solving whodunnits
- Raven Ross as Angie, Workout class queen who balances fitness with meditation
- Roy Choi as Max, Seasoned sous chef for culinary tips and tricks
- Sam Kerr as Sally, Free-spirited friend who’ll tell you when to take a deep breath
- Snoop Dogg as Dungeon Master, Choose your own adventure with the Dungeon Master
- Tom Brady as Bru, Wisecracking sports debater who pulls no punches
More of these Meta AI character AIs will launch in the coming months. These character AIs may have some limited responses because they won't have "information that largely existed prior to 2023" but Meta hopes to expand their internet search features in the future.
