Meta has officially launched its Llama-3-powered AI chatbot, Meta AI to all users in India. This rollout comes after a period of restricted access during the country’s general elections.
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Meta AI was made available to all users in India on June 24, 2024, following the testing during the general elections.
The restricted access during this period was likely due to concerns over misuse or misinformation during the elections.
The chatbot supports only English with no support for local Indian languages. This limitation might impact user engagement in a country with a diverse linguistic landscape.
The chatbot was initially tested in India from April 2024 on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Facebook. It was available to select users before its international release in over a dozen countries, excluding India due to the elections.
Meta AI is accessible through the search bar on Meta’s apps and directly via the meta.ai website. It is integrated into WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
Meta AI is capable of performing a wide range of tasks such as suggesting recipes, planning workouts, assisting in email composition and summarizing text.
On Instagram, the chatbot can suggest Reels based on user queries. On Facebook, it can provide information related to specific posts.
Users viewing a post about the a can ask Meta AI for the best times and places to view that place. On WhatsApp, Meta AI can assist within group chats for activities like planning trips or movie nights.
It operates based on the context provided in the conversation, making it a handy tool for collaborative tasks.
Meta AI can create images based on user prompts, a feature that has been known for its potential biases.
Earlier tests revealed a tendency to depict Indian men with turbans and portray traditional, vibrant Indian houses.
Meta has acknowledged these biases and is actively working on refining the model. The company has stated that they are continually updating and improving the AI to address these issues.
India represents Meta’s largest market with over a billion users across its platforms including 500 million WhatsApp users.
The rollout of Meta AI in India shows a major step in Meta’s strategy to enhance its generative AI capabilities in a highly competitive market. This launch follows the release of Google’s Gemini AI in India, which supports nine local languages.
Meta AI is equipped to provide real-time information, thanks to integrations with services like Google and Bing making it a powerful tool for immediate queries.
Meta AI’s arrival in India marks an expansion of Meta’s AI capabilities, which have already been introduced in 12 other countries including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
The rollout is designed to be phased, meaning that while some users will have immediate access, others may need to wait as the AI is gradually made available across the country.
Meta AI is integrated across major Meta platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. This ensures that users can access the AI’s capabilities within their preferred apps.
Meta AI will be available in English. Future updates may include support for additional languages to enhance accessibility.
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The rollout in India is gradual, meaning that while some users can access Meta AI immediately, others may need to wait. This approach allows Meta to monitor the integration process and address any issues.
Meta AI can handle routine tasks such as drafting emails, summarizing texts and translating content, making it an all round assistant for personal and professional use.
Users can leverage Meta AI for content creation including writing social media posts, generating text and even creating animations and images based on prompts.
The AI provides real-time information drawing from sources like Google and Microsoft’s Bing, to answer questions and support decision-making.
Meta AI is integrated into the search functions of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, allowing users to perform interactive queries and access information directly from their feeds.
Meta AI can be used in both personal and group chats to provide advice, answer questions and facilitate conversations with its advanced language capabilities.
The AI can generate and animate images based on user prompts, an element of creativity and engagement to digital interactions.
The launch of Meta AI in India closely follows the introduction of Google’s Gemini AI assistant. Both AI systems offer similar functionalities but cater to slightly different user needs and preferences.
Gemini supports multiple Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu, in addition to English.
This broad linguistic support aims to reach a diverse user base across India. The Gemini app is available on the Google Play Store and offers users a range of functionalities including event planning, recipe creation and social media management.
Users can interact with Gemini by typing, talking, or adding images, making it a versatile tool for a variety of tasks.
According to Meta, tens of millions of users participated in the testing phase in India and provided positive feedback on the chatbot’s performance.
The chatbot has been used for a variety of purposes including information gathering, learning support, and emotional assistance.
The nature of these queries varies depending on the platform with productivity and coding-related questions being common on the Meta.ai website, while emotional support queries are more frequent on social media platforms.
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