In a candid and insightful discussion, Fares Akkad, Meta’s regional director in MEA, talks to Economy Middle East about the company’s ongoing commitment to advancing artificial intelligence (AI) research and development. From prioritizing accessibility and affordability to envisioning the transformative potential of AI in the metaverse, Akkad provides a glimpse into the strategic initiatives that define Meta’s trajectory in AI for the next 5-10 years.
How is Meta investing in AI research and development, and what are its key priorities for AI in the next 5-10 years?
Our priority has always been to ensure accessibility and affordability for everyone, everywhere, including in the MENA region. At a global level, we are focusing on building state-of-the-art AI into apps that billions of people already use, increasing and diversifying the use cases for AI technology. We know that people use different apps for different needs – finding information, communicating, being entertained, playing games, getting work done, etc. Our aim is to provide different types of AI tailored to meet those needs.
Globally, we are focused on the following initiatives:
- AI Studio: A groundbreaking platform enabling AI creation, accessible across all Meta products, featuring a user-friendly sandbox for non-coders to build AIs.
- Meta AI: An innovative assistant using Llama 2 technology, offering human-like interactions and real-time information via Bing search.
- AI Personalities and Capabilities: Creating AIs with unique personalities and functions; for example, Victor, a motivational coach, and sous chef Max crafting recipes instantly with available ingredients.
These will only be available in the U.S At the launch stage, so that we can test and make sure we get all the aspects right before expanding. However, we anticipate rolling them out more broadly next year and will have more to share then.
How does Meta envision AI transforming its products and services? How can it improve the user experience?
Meta has pioneered AI for over a decade, leveraging it for marketing (tailored content and ads), safety (identifying harmful content), and collaboration (1,000+ open-source AI projects, including Llama 2). We recently marked our 10-year Foundational AI Research Lab anniversary.
At Connect this year, we launched a new suite of AI experiences, enhancing connectivity, creativity, and productivity across our apps and devices.
In terms of creative expression, AI stickers, restyle, and backdrop offer innovative content generation and media editing capabilities. Stickers will soon roll out to select English language users across WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram Stories, with restyle and backdrop coming soon to Instagram.
Our initial set of AIs, like Victor the motivational coach or sous chef Max, embody distinctive personalities and interests, with over half represented by cultural icons and influencers such as Snoop Dogg, Tom Brady, Kendall Jenner and Naomi Osaka.
Read: Meta rolls out new generative AI features in UAE and Saudi
Meta AI, our advanced conversational assistant, will seamlessly integrate into our apps, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and Quest 3. In chats, Meta AI provides real-time information via search, creative self-expression tools, and facilitates group discussions. It also includes an image generation tool triggered by “/imagine” for creating high-quality images, marked to indicate AI origin. Users can summon Meta AI in group chats by typing “@Meta AI” with specific inquiries. Both Search and Imagine will be part of the group chat experience.
AI Studio will support the creation of AI companywide, aiming to make it accessible beyond Meta, allowing both coders and non-coders to build AIs, enhancing engagement and community growth. This extends to businesses creating AIs for customer interactions and commerce support.
We anticipate MENA being part of the global rollout next year and we will have more to announce in due course.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities Meta sees for AI in the metaverse?
We see vast potential in integrating Generative AI with the metaverse for immersive experiences. However, caution is crucial. We are focusing on training and fine-tuning models to fit our safety and responsibility guidelines, red-teaming with external experts and internal teams to help ensure our models are safer and more inclusive, programming in guardrails around inappropriate conversations, and sharing system cards publicly so people better understand how these models work.
Our AI features might occasionally produce inaccurate or inappropriate outputs, as seen in similar industry models. We’re methodical in our feature rollout, launching AI in beta, and refining them based on user feedback.
Can you tell us more about Meta’s use of AI to personalize its advertising and marketing?
AI-powered tools and algorithms have been integrated into the marketing industry for some time and we have used machine learning and AI for years to power our apps and services, including our ads system.
We are now using AI to help advertisers see what’s working faster and devote more time to creating the ads that will resonate with their customers. This includes using AI and social media as a feedback loop, aiding marketers in strategy refinement and investment optimization for better performance.
Using tools like Meta’s Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns, advertisers can gain insight into what ad creatives perform best and what campaign components to shift to unlock new customer segments. In tests last year, we found that adding Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns led to an average of 17 percent lower cost per acquisition and a 32 percent increase in return on ad spend.
We also have AI Sandbox for advertisers, a testing playground for AI-driven tools that fuels experimentation. Marketers can play with text variation, background generation and image outcropping for Facebook and Instagram Stories or Reels. They provide a valuable opportunity for advertisers to refine their strategies, iterate on their creatives and inform stronger marketing campaigns.
What are Meta’s thoughts on the future of AI and its impact on society?
We’ve witnessed first-hand the immense benefits of granting researchers access to AI models. AI has sped up discovery of antibiotics and improved MRI accuracy with just a fraction of the raw data.
The next generation of AI will revolutionize experiences and interactions, transforming product use for people, businesses, and creators. Generative AI technologies hold significant potential for various sectors, including healthcare and public services.
Currently, we’re developing generative AI experiences make our platforms more social, more useful and more immersive. At Meta, we will continue innovating responsibly to ensure everyone has a chance to participate in the upside.
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