Michelle ThompsonMeta unveils AI chatbots imbued with a sense of ‘individuality’.
Meta has revealed a new lineup of chatbots set to be integrated into its Messenger service. These chatbots will possess a sense of “personality” and will specialize in various subjects, such as holidays or cooking advice. This announcement is the latest development in the ongoing competition among tech companies to create more precise and personalized artificial intelligence.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, acknowledged that these chatbots are a work in progress with certain “limitations.” The company’s primary chatbot is named “Meta AI” and can be utilized within messaging apps. Users can interact with Meta AI by asking questions to resolve disputes or for other inquiries.
Celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Kendall Jenner have signed up to lend their personas to different types of chatbots. The goal is to create chatbots that offer not just answers but also entertainment value.
Meta emphasized that there are still significant limitations in terms of what these chatbots can respond to. Initially, they will be rolled out in the United States.
During the event, Mark Zuckerberg also discussed the concept of the metaverse, a virtual world that Meta is heavily investing in. The company revealed details about its new virtual reality headset, Quest 3, which will support augmented reality and be available starting October 10th.
Despite these developments, Meta’s long-term investment in the metaverse has yet to yield substantial returns, with significant losses in its VR division. Apple’s entry into the mixed reality hardware market with the Vision Pro earlier this year has intensified the competition.
On the same day as Meta’s announcement, rival OpenAI, known for ChatGPT, confirmed that its chatbot can now browse the internet to provide users with real-time information, expanding its capabilities beyond data up to September 2021.
