Meta is incorporating the vocal tones of Judi Dench, John Cena, and Keegan-Michael Key into its artificial intelligence chatbot.
Meta, the corporation behind Meta (META), announced on a recent Wednesday that they're incorporating real-time voice conversations and artistically simulated celebrity voices into their artificial intelligence chatbot, Meta AI. Now, instead of just exchanging messages with the chatbot, users can engage in real-time discussions and opt for a range of computer-generated or celebrity vocals.
Meta teamed up with Cena, Dench, along with actors such as Kristen Bell, Awkwafina, and Keegan-Michael Key, to program the chatbot to mimic their distinctive voices.
The upgrade is part of Meta's plan to maintain its AI chatbot's competitiveness. Users can interact with this AI chatbot on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, which Meta aims to surpass competitors' products, including ChatGPT's advanced voice mode, said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. MetaAI is forecasted to be the most popular AI assistant worldwide by the year's end, fueled by the tremendous user base of over 3 billion individuals who utilize the company's applications daily, despite the ambiguity regarding how often users engage with the chatbot.
Meta's rival, OpenAI, garnered criticism earlier this year for showcasing ChatGPT's own real-time voice mode feature due to a demo voice resembling actor Scarlett Johansson, who had declined participating in the project but was never actually involved. OpenAI denied any likeness to Johansson but halted the use of the voice character, Sky, nonetheless. In contrast, Meta appears to have reached formal agreements with the actors whose voices were utilized in its tool.
Zuckerberg introduced the voice mode during the yearly Meta Connect conference, where he showcased further AI advancements, an updated, more affordable version of Meta's Quest headsets, and improvements to the company's line of augmented reality Ray-Ban glasses.
Other significant announcements included allowing social media influencers to create AI representations of themselves. Before this update, influencers could only train AI to have text-based conversations with their followers, but now followers will be able to engage in full, almost-video-call experiences with the AI-generated versions of influencers that use this feature.
Meta's developments in AI technology will also include translating and dubbing foreign language Reels (Meta's brief videos) for viewers in their preferred language. For example, if an English-speaking user comes across a Reel originally in Spanish, it will appear as if it was initially recorded in English, with edits to the speaker's lips to make the dubbing seem realistic.
Meta's AR glasses will also incorporate real-time, AI-powered translation capabilities. A user can converse with individuals speaking in a foreign language, and within seconds, hear the translation in their preferred language through their earphones, Zuckerberg revealed.
The tech industry is abuzz with Meta's latest business move, incorporating real-time voice conversations and celebrities' voices into their AI chatbot, Meta AI. This innovative approach aims to differentiate MetaAI from competitors, such as ChatGPT, in the business realm of AI assistants.
