UK Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users now get Meta AI, more countries to follow
Meta AI, the assistant for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, has been around for a while. Still, it's not yet available to everyone worldwide. However, access is now expanding to more users.
The tech giant is expanding access to Meta AI to 21 new regions globally, starting with:
Meta AI will also make its debut in the Middle East soon. Along with the rollout in more countries, the assistant is learning new languages, including Tagalog. In the coming weeks, it will be able to understand and respond in Arabic, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese, too.
Meta AI is also making its way to Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the UK and Australia. Initially, only voice support will be available, letting more users chat with the assistant hands-free while they're out and about.
Even with the broader rollout of its AI assistant, Meta isn't bringing it to the European Union just yet due to privacy concerns. EU regulators aren't on board with Meta's plans to use data from Facebook and Instagram users to train its AI models, which is why the assistant won't launch in the 27 member countries of the bloc.
However, I think whatever Meta has up its sleeve will eventually come to pass – it's just a waiting game. The race for AI is too crucial for big players to just sit back. Apple is in a similar boat, holding off on launching its Apple Intelligence in the EU for regulatory reasons, and neither company is willing to back down for now.
While OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft have recently signed the new EU Artificial Intelligence Pact to set guidelines for AI development and deployment within the EU, Meta and Apple have opted to sit on the sidelines. It will be interesting to see how long that lasts.
Meta AI is coming to more countries and in more languages
The tech giant is expanding access to Meta AI to 21 new regions globally, starting with:
- United Kingdom
- Brazil
- Bolivia
- Guatemala
- Paraguay
- Philippines
Meta AI will also make its debut in the Middle East soon. Along with the rollout in more countries, the assistant is learning new languages, including Tagalog. In the coming weeks, it will be able to understand and respond in Arabic, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese, too.
Meta AI is also making its way to Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the UK and Australia. Initially, only voice support will be available, letting more users chat with the assistant hands-free while they're out and about.
Once the gradual rollout is complete, Meta AI will be available in 43 countries and a dozen languages. According to the company, Meta AI is on track to become the world's most used AI assistant by the end of the year, with nearly 500 million monthly active users.
Video credit – Meta
While OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft have recently signed the new EU Artificial Intelligence Pact to set guidelines for AI development and deployment within the EU, Meta and Apple have opted to sit on the sidelines. It will be interesting to see how long that lasts.
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