From image 'restyler' to generative stickers, here are new AI features you can use on Meta apps
In this fast-changing world, artificial intelligence or AI has one way or another been part of our everyday life, especially on social media.
And so, during the Connect developer conference, tech company Meta announced a host of new AI-powered bots, features, and products to "harness the power of generative AI" in order to make Meta’s technology such as Facebook and Instagram more convenient to its users; hence giving them the tools to be "more creative, expressive and productive.”
From messaging apps and studios for businesses and creators to image editing, here are some AI features that you can use over Meta apps.
AI Studio for businesses and creators
The popularity of e-commerce rose especially during the pandemic, and many small businesses continue to pop up. With that in mind, Meta unveiled AI Studio, a platform that enables companies to create AI chatbots for its different messaging services, including Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. According to Meta, it will allow companies to “create AIs that reflect their brand’s values and improve customer service experiences."
“From small businesses looking to scale to large brands wanting to enhance communications, AIs can help businesses engage with their customers across our apps,” Meta wrote.
“And for creators, they’ll be able to build AIs that extend their virtual presence across our apps. These AIs will have to be sanctioned by them and directly controlled by the creator,” it added.
Additionally, developers will have access to the AI Studio to create AIs that "extend their virtual presence" throughout Meta's apps. Meta said that they would need to be approved by the creator and under their direct control.
AI Studio will first be made accessible in alpha, and the toolkit will be scaled up starting next year.
In 2016, Facebook first launched a Messenger developer kit that allows businesses to deliver automated customer support, e-commerce guidance, content, and interactive experiences through chatbots. However, Meta said bots created with AI Studio aren’t like the rules-based, rigid bots of yesteryear.
AI stickers
We love our memes and GIFs, but soon, users can be more creative in expressing their feelings in Meta's messaging apps through generative AI stickers powered by Emu.
This will allow them to create unique AI stickers in a matter of seconds across Meta apps including WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and even Facebook Stories.
To use the stickers, you could type into a text box with exactly what sort of images you want to see.
“Every day people send hundreds of millions of stickers to express things in chats and every chat is a little bit different and you want to express subtly different emotions. But today we only have a fixed number — but with Emu now you have the ability to just type in what you want,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Over the following month, the features will gradually roll out, starting with English-language users.
AI image editing
Also powered by Emu, users are now able to transform their images or co-create AI-generated images with friends with restyle and backdrop features that are coming soon to Instagram in the U.S.
In a blog post, Meta explained how these tools help in editing your images. For instance, Restyle lets you reimagine your images by applying the visual styles you describe.
"Think of typing a descriptor like “watercolor” or a more detailed prompt like “collage from magazines and newspapers, torn edges” to describe the new look and feel of the image you want to create," said Meta.
Backdrop, on the other hand, changes the scene or background of your image. To use this you can use prompts like "surrounded by sunflower fields" or "attending a music festival" that will cue the tool to create an image of the primary subject in the foreground with the background you described.
Quest 3
The world's first mass-market mixed reality headset, Meta Quest 3 is now open for pre-orders. It starts at $499.99 (P28,482.18) for the 128GB version and $649.99 (P37,027.01) for those who want a larger storage capacity of 512GB.
The headset features a 30% leap in visual resolution and 40% louder audio range than Quest 2—it’s also thinner with a more balanced weight distribution than Quest 2 for maximum comfort.
Moreover, it enables a spectrum of immersive experiences, like playing a virtual piano on your coffee table or opening a portal to another dimension right in your living room. Its load times are "lightning fast" and incredibly crisp details in immersive games defy expectations.