Meta Launches AI Assistant and Glasses with Facebook Streaming

Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg has launched a range of new AI products this Wednesday. The highlights include smart glasses that can answer questions and even stream directly to Facebook.

Marking the blend of virtual and real worlds, Zuckerberg shared how Meta aims to offer affordable or even free AI that can be part of our daily lives. He especially highlighted the Meta’s Quest, which is a top-seller in VR, as providing the best value. This was hinted as a response to Apple’s upcoming, pricier headset.

Zuckerberg, while at the Silicon Valley Meta campus, announced the new version of Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. They will be available from October 17 and will cost $299 (~Rs 24,880 ). These glasses have an advanced feature: they can livestream what the user sees directly to Facebook and Instagram. This is beyond the earlier model which could only take photos. In addition, the latest Quest mixed-reality headset will be available from October 10.

At the Meta Connect conference, Zuckerberg also introduced the first AI products for consumers. This includes the Meta AI chatbot which can respond with text and realistic images. Zuckerberg emphasized that their AI is not just for answering questions but also for entertainment and connection.

Soon, the smart glasses will also feature Meta AI as an assistant, initially in a US beta version. Next year, an update will enable the assistant to identify places, objects, and even translate languages.

The AI products displayed included images like a dinosaur as a pet and a change in the fur style of Zuckerberg’s dog, Beast. Emphasizing accessibility, Zuckerberg said that creating affordable innovative products is crucial.

The assistant named Meta AI, is based on the Llama 2 language model which was made public in July. This chatbot will use Microsoft’s Bing for real-time info. Also, a new platform is in the works that will let both developers and the public make their own custom AI bots. These bots can have profiles on Instagram and Facebook and might soon become avatars in the metaverse.

To showcase this, Meta made 28 chatbots with unique personalities. They mimic the voices of celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady.

However, after the presentation, Meta shares dropped by about 1%.

On the gaming front, Xbox cloud gaming will be available on Quest in December. The Quest 3 headset, priced at $500 (~Rs 41,603), has the same mixed-reality tech seen in the pricier Quest Pro from last year.

Zuckerberg’s announcements indicate a clear shift towards artificial intelligence from augmented and virtual reality.

The stakes at this event were notably high. Last year, many investors criticized the company for heavily investing in the metaverse. This led to Zuckerberg having to make major staff cuts to fund his vision. This year, developers and investors were keenly watching to gauge the potential of Meta’s latest offerings.

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