Tag: Meta AI

Get ready: Meta AI calls are coming to WhatsApp

On Monday, WhatsApp announced an exciting update that brings voice calls powered by Meta AI to its platform. This feature allows users to engage in hands-free, seamless conversations with the AI assistant, making multitasking easier. Users can effortlessly switch between voice and text during calls, enhancing accessibility and convenience.

One standout aspect of this update is its ability to maintain conversations even when users exit the app. This ensures uninterrupted interaction with Meta AI while performing other tasks on their devices. Built-in privacy indicators have been integrated to notify users when their microphone is active, safeguarding user privacy.

Read also: Apple CEO shakes up AI leadership: A new direction for Siri

Meta AI’s voice call feature is particularly beneficial for individuals who prefer speaking over typing or those with visual impairments. As WhatsApp continues testing this feature, it is currently available to a limited number of users, with plans for a broader rollout in the near future.

Meta AI expands across Meta platforms

Meta AI has gradually spread across Meta’s platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. Built on the advanced Meta Llama 3 language model, this AI assistant offers versatile capabilities such as answering queries, generating animations, and creating images. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, described it as “the most intelligent AI assistant that you can freely use.”

Read also: Cassava Technologies to launch Africa’s first AI factory with NVIDIA partnership

Users can access Meta AI directly through the search bar or group chats on WhatsApp by tagging “@Meta AI.” The assistant can help plan trips or create content without leaving the app. Additionally, businesses are leveraging this technology to enhance customer interactions by answering questions and facilitating transactions via WhatsApp Business.

The introduction of voice calls marks another step in Meta’s efforts to integrate generative AI into everyday communication. By combining advanced features with user-friendly design and privacy safeguards, WhatsApp aims to redefine how people interact with technology daily.

March 25, 2025
Meta AI with Llama 3.2 expands to the Middle East & Africa—Here’s what’s new

Meta has officially expanded its AI-powered assistant, Meta AI, to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, introducing Arabic language support to millions of users.

This landmark rollout, announced on monday, marks a significant step in making advanced AI tools accessible to a broader audience, bridging linguistic and technological gaps in one of the world’s most dynamic regions.

Read also: Meta’s PARTNR program wants Robots to help with chores—But are we ready?

A regional AI revolution in the Middle East and Africa

Meta AI, powered by the state-of-the-art Llama 3.2 large language model, is now available across Meta’s family of apps—Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger—in countries including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen. Accessible via a blue circle icon within these apps, Meta AI requires no registration and offers real-time research, brainstorming, and planning assistance. By typing “@Meta AI” in chats, users in the Middle East and Africa can leverage this tool, enhancing connectivity across the region. Introducing Arabic support targets the region’s linguistic diversity, ensuring relevance for Arabic-speaking users, a critical step for Meta’s expansion in Africa and the Middle East.

Features and functionality of Meta AI with Llama 3.2

Meta AI’s capabilities in the Middle East and Africa are powered by Llama 3.2, enabling text generation, image creation, and animation. The “Imagine” feature lets users describe scenes—like “a tiger wearing a vest drinking tea at a café”—to generate AI images, while “Imagine Me” offers stylised selfies, and audio dubbing enhances Instagram Reels. Meta AI facilitates collaboration for group chats, such as suggesting travel destinations within a six-hour flight from the UAE. Fares Akkad, Meta’s Regional Director for Middle East and Africa, called this launch a “gateway to a smarter, more connected life,” emphasising its accessibility—free, device-agnostic, and integrated into widely used apps—across Africa and the Middle East.

Addressing challenges and concerns for Meta AI in Africa and the Middle East

The rollout has sparked excitement and concerns about generative AI misuse, mainly misinformation. Meta acknowledges these risks, implementing filters and updating Llama 3.2 models biweekly for safety.

While Meta’s Arabic support is a leap forward, refinement is needed to handle regional nuances, as seen with competitors like Jais and Falcon, ensuring Meta’s AI remains relevant in Africa and the Middle East.

Read also: Meta to invest $10 billion in Project Waterworth, connecting South Africa, U.S., others via undersea cable

Impact on the Middle East and Africa regions

The expansion aligns with AI growth in the Middle East and Africa, where governments and firms pursue localised solutions. Google’s $15 million AI Opportunity Initiative for MENA (November 2024) and Arabic models like Jais and Falcon highlight the region’s ambitions. Meta AI, powered by Llama 3.2, positions Meta as a leader, potentially reaching nearly 700 million users globally by year’s end. In Africa, it could enhance digital inclusion in markets like Nigeria and South Africa, while in the Middle East, it supports business automation and individual creativity, deepening Meta’s regional footprint.

Looking Ahead with Meta AI and Llama 3.2 in Africa and the Middle East

Meta is launching “Elevating Every Moment,” featuring regional creators like Yara Boumonsef and Amro Maskoun on Instagram and an educational series on Meta Arabia’s Facebook page. These initiatives educate users on crafting prompts and maximising Meta AI’s potential for tasks like art and travel planning in the Middle East and Africa.

While its rollout continues, Meta AI’s arrival with Arabic support and Llama 3.2 signals a transformative shift, promising to connect communities and drive innovation. Its success depends on addressing linguistic challenges and ensuring safety, but its potential to reshape connectivity in Africa and the Middle East is undeniable as of February 2025.

February 26, 2025
WhatsApp introduces Meta AI Widget for smarter home screen interactions

WhatsApp, a leading messaging platform owned by Meta, is taking a bold step forward with developing its Meta AI widget. Highlighted in the latest beta release (version 2.25.1.27) for Android, this feature was reported by WABetaInfo on Monday.

The widget aims to enhance user interactions by integrating artificial intelligence directly onto users’ home screens.

Read also: WhatsApp introduces built-in document scanner to simplify file sharing

WhatsApp Meta AI widget features and benefits

The Meta AI widget introduces innovative functionalities to make AI interactions more accessible and convenient. According to WABetaInfo, users will be able to initiate conversations with Meta AI directly from their home screens. This feature eliminates the need to open the WhatsApp app, saving time and simplifying the user experience.

In addition, the widget supports instant photo sharing with Meta AI. Users can capture and upload images for tasks such as photo editing, generating explanations, or receiving context-based answers. These capabilities are to make interactions more intuitive, allowing users to perform tasks quickly and efficiently.

The widget will be entirely optional, appearing among the available widgets in WhatsApp for accounts with access to AI-powered chats. Since AI-powered chats are currently limited to select countries and users, the widget’s availability will initially be restricted but is expected to expand globally in future updates.

Read also: WhatsApp celebrates 10 years of privacy with new group features, AI tools

Availability and prospects

While still under development, the Meta AI widget reflects WhatsApp’s commitment to improving user engagement through cutting-edge AI solutions. Users who already have access to AI-powered chats will benefit from a direct and simplified way to interact with Meta AI, whether asking questions, requesting assistance, or analysing image content.

This feature builds upon WhatsApp’s broader strategy of integrating AI into its ecosystem. Recent updates, such as a dedicated tab for AI-powered chats, have laid the groundwork for this new widget. Meta aims to ensure seamless access to AI tools, fostering innovation and efficiency in digital communication.

As WhatsApp expands its AI capabilities, the Meta AI widget is poised to transform how users engage with artificial intelligence, offering both convenience and enhanced functionality. Stay updated as this groundbreaking feature moves closer to a full release and reshapes the future of communication.

January 14, 2025
How to Use Meta AI for Generating Images on WhatsApp

Experience the world where human imagination meets the endless possibilities of AI! AI’s integration with WhatsApp signals a new era of innovation in a society where digital communication is the norm. Think about a world where a screen tap can turn your thoughts into images.

Meta AI is the innovative technology that transformed Facebook into Meta Platforms Inc. With Meta AI, possibilities proliferate. This is about transcending the every day and embracing the remarkable, not just communication.

Read also: China orders Apple to remove WhatsApp, Threads from its local App Store

You can now use AI-generated photos in WhatsApp. This quantum leap promises to transform digital expression. Meta AI quickly and easily creates wonders from your vision.

The era of outdated memes and static emojis is over. Communication is an unlimited canvas ready for your creative brushstrokes using Meta AI. There are no limits to expressing feelings, illustrating ideas, or spicing up your interactions.

But how do you activate this unique ability? Fear not; we have a complete guide to this brave new world. Follow these steps to use Meta AI to produce AI-generated photographs on WhatsApp and lead the way in digital expression.

How can I access Metal Al using WhatsApp?

To use WhatsApp Meta AI, follow these steps:

Launch WhatsApp on Android or iOS.

Check the app’s home screen for a circular ring. The ring appears above Android’s green ‘+’ button and before the blue ‘+’ button on iOS. The ring indicates that you have the feature and can continue.

Close WhatsApp and open the Google Play Store if the ring is not visible.

Check WhatsApp for updates. Tap Update to install updates. Install the Update and launch the app.

Look for the Meta AI button where the circular ring was. Press the button to use the function and ask questions. It can even create new images.

Read also: Meta ups generative AI : Llama 3, unveils Image generator

How can I generate AI images?

Open WhatsApp and tap on the Meta AI assistant.

Use the word “/imagine” to turn on the generative mode.

Type in a suggestion about the image you want to make. For example, “Cats and dogs in a space rocket to Mars.”

To create the AI image, tap the send button, which looks like an arrow. The picture should be ready in a few seconds. You can use the picture above as a model for what to accept.

Meta AI in WhatsApp makes releasing creativity and inspiration more accessible than ever. This step-by-step approach lets you use AI to create stunning graphics on the messaging app. Meta AI on WhatsApp allows boundless expression and engagement, whether you’re creating personalised artwork, visual content for discussions, or researching AI creativity. Meta AI brings digital art to your messaging experience.

April 22, 2024
Meta ups generative AI : Llama 3, unveils Image generator

In a determined effort to match the generative AI market leader OpenAI, Meta unveiled preliminary versions of its latest language model, Llama 3, and a cutting-edge image generator that updates pictures in real time based on user prompts.

This announcement comes on a Thursday, signalling Meta’s commitment to accelerate its progress in the generative AI space.

Meta AI, the company’s virtual assistant, will incorporate the models. Meta AI is being marketed as the most advanced of its free-to-use competitors, with performance comparisons on topics such as reasoning, coding, and creative writing compared to rival offerings from Alphabet, Google, and the French startup Mistral AI.

Read also: Apple plans to add Gemini AI to Iphone

The revamped Meta AI assistant will be featured more prominently in Meta’s Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook apps. It will also have its own website to better compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which Microsoft backed.

The website’s landing page offers various interactive features, such as a packing list generator, a quiz about music from the 90s, homework assistance, and the ability to paint a skyline of New York City.

How Meta AI is tackling competition

Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger now incorporate the Meta AI assistant, introduced last September, into their search boxes. It will soon begin to show up in the Facebook main feed itself. It remains accessible through the message inboxes of Meta’s chat applications. Plus, you can now get it on its own at Meta.ai, which is a first.

For Meta’s assistant to be considered a serious contender, the underlying model must be at least as good as ChatGPT. This is why Meta is releasing Llama 3, the next big version of its open-source model that serves as its foundation. According to Meta, Llama 3 performs better on critical benchmarks than other models in its class and is superior overall at tasks like coding.

The Meta AI assistant and external developers have access to two smaller Llama 3 models; a significantly larger version with support for multiple modes will be available in the coming months.

The plans for Meta AI

Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, wants Meta AI to be the most intelligent AI assistant that people can freely use worldwide. According to Zuckerberg, Llama 3 gives the Meta team the impression that they are there.

As far as the internet is concerned, no other chatbot incorporates real-time results from Google and Bing like the Meta AI assistant. Meta determines when to use either search engine to respond to a query. It has also improved its image generation to make GIFs and animations, and it can now generate high-resolution images dynamically as you type. According to Ahmad Al-Dahle, head of generative AI at Meta, the panel of prompt suggestions that appears when you initially open a chat window is designed to demystify what a general-purpose chatbot can do. Perplexity inspires this feature.

Read also: ‘P1 Ventures’ expands to Nairobi, Dakar, Intensifies AI Integration

Previously only accessible in the United States, Meta AI is now being released in English to several countries and languages, including Australia, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. While Zuckerberg’s vision of a genuinely global AI assistant remains elusive, this expanded release brings Meta AI one step closer to connecting with the company’s over 3 billion daily users.

Here, we see echoes of Snapchat’s and TikTok’s groundbreaking Stories and Reels formats, which were both added to Meta’s apps to further cement their position as industry standards and set a precedent for similar developments.

Some might say it’s dishonestly plagiarizing. Yet Zuckerberg clearly views Meta’s massive size and agility in responding to emerging trends as its competitive advantage. With Meta AI, he is also aggressively investing in foundational models and spreading them everywhere, following the same playbook.

April 20, 2024
Meta’s AI now available in Nigeria, Ghana, others in Africa

Meta has stated that its AI service will now be available in seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria and Ghana.

Among the companies owned by Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, Meta is the parent business.

According to the company, Meta AI has also been made available in South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

Meta said that releasing the AI assistant in English would improve connections and give millions of Africans the tools they need to be more creative, expressive, and effective.

Read also: How to use Meta AI to chat on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram

“Get things done, learn, make things, and connect with the things that matter on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger with Meta AI.”

According to a statement made by the company on Thursday, “You can use Meta AI in feeds, chats, searches, and more across our apps to get things done and get real-time information without leaving the app you’re using.”

Why is Meta focusing on African countries for AI expansion?

Like many software companies, Meta sees the promise of Africa’s fast-growing digital market. Meta wants to enter this market and build a significant presence in Africa, where internet availability and smartphone penetration are rising.

Meta wants to link the world and give underserved people access to its platforms and services, so investing in Africa makes sense. Meta can also employ local expertise and insights to create solutions for African users by expanding its AI activities in Africa.

It boosts innovation, economic progress, and social development in the region. Meta’s focus on Africa shows its dedication to global expansion and its appreciation of Africa’s potential for growth and influence.

Mark Zuckerberg’s words on Meta Al

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, wrote on Facebook that the company’s mission is to construct the world’s best AI. The company believes Meta AI is “the most intelligent AI assistant you can freely use.”

Zuckerberg said the business has merged real-time knowledge from Google and Bing into Meta AI replies, making it brighter and easier to use across apps.

Read also: Meta conducts AI tests in India, Africa

We are thrilled to expand Meta AI in English to additional nations. Our next-generation assistant will provide real-time information through seamless search integration in your favourite apps. To improve Meta AI, we open-sourced our cutting-edge Llama 3 AI model.

“We added unique creation features like photo animation. Meta AI creates and refreshes high-quality graphics in real-time as you type. Zuckerberg stated it would also record your creation process.

In addition to animating photographs, Meta AI can now iterate on them in a new style and turn them into GIFs to share with friends, inspiring creativity. Meta introduced this connection method at Meta Connect 2023. More individuals can interact with it globally than before.

April 20, 2024
How to use Meta AI to chat on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram

To jump into the Artificial Intelligence (AI) trend, Meta introduced the Meta AI chatbot in its messaging apps, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Meta commenced trials in India and Africa.

To attend to the demand and curiosity of netizens Meta, here is a guideline on how to use Meta AI on WhatsApp and Instagram.

Read also: Meta conducts AI tests in India, Africa

How to use Meta AI on WhatsApp

To engage with Meta AI, users can open WhatsApp and look for the icon in the bottom right corner. When they click it, the Meta AI inbox opens, allowing them to ask questions or request image creation.

Meta also unveiled 28 additional AI assistants and partnerships with notable figures in sports, entertainment, and internet culture in addition to Meta AI. Thanks to the specialised AI profiles of famous people like MrBreast, Snoop Dogg, and Kendall Jenner, users of Instagram and Facebook can now engage in personalised interactions.

One of the most remarkable features of Meta AI’s image production tool is its ability to generate realistic images from text prompts swiftly. By entering ‘@MetaAI /imagine’ followed by their chosen text prompt, users can activate this feature to enhance the visual aspect of their chats.

Meta AI on Instagram

Instagram’s Meta AI chatbot is like having a normal conversation with a friend in a Direct Message (DM). This feature is still in its early stages of development and is only accessible to a small group of beta testers. In contrast to the still-in-development Llama 3, this conversational AI uses Meta’s own Llama 2.

The current Instagram Meta AI version focuses on recommendations within chats. Users can also engage with the chatbot by using a drop-down menu with pre-set options. Meta AI may not be ready to take on ChatGPT just yet, but its incorporation shows that AI-powered communication is becoming more common across Meta’s products, such as Messenger and WhatsApp.

Instagram has previously experimented with AI. Previous work has investigated experimental features such as story-related virtual friends and rewriting tools powered by artificial intelligence. However, these are still in the testing phase, so Meta is being strategic and careful with its AI deployment.

Read also: Users can now post 60-second videos on WhatsApp Status

Currently, Instagram’s Meta AI is mainly focused on chat features. Like previous versions of ChatGPT, it needs more sophisticated artistic tools. Future integrations that use AI to create content are still in the realm of possibility, but they could help users create more captivating posts, stories, and reels.

Meta AI’s actual conversational utility is still up for debate. The feature adds a new dimension to interaction, but how useful it becomes in the future will depend on how it evolves and what features it provides. Continuous user feedback and iterative updates are crucial to shape this AI assistant and determine its eventual impact on the Instagram experience.

The summary of how to use it on Instagram is to update the app from PlayStore or AppStore and open it. You then search at the bottom of the screen and tap the search button. After gaining access, you will see a ‘Blue Ring’ on the search bar. Afterwards, you can type in your questions or use the microphone.

Also, with the release of Meta’s AI stickers for Instagram, Facebook Stories, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Messenger, users can now enhance their visual communication with personalised stickers made from text prompts. Like Snapchat’s AI-generated Bitmoji stickers, this feature will gradually become available to select English-language users in the coming month. It expands the creative possibilities on Meta’s platform.

April 16, 2024