Have you noticed something new on Instagram or Facebook recently? If you’ve seen a new blue circle and ‘Ask Meta AI anything’ appearing in your search bar, you’re not alone.
This is Meta AI in action, a new AI chatbot powered by Llama 3—the most capable openly available large language model, rivalling ChatGPT. Meta has just rolled out this chatbot across its suite of apps, including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, across multiple countries.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta AI has been dubbed the “most intelligent AI assistant that you can freely use”.
From producing AI-generated images in seconds to answering questions using content from across Meta’s platform and search results, now is the time to learn how Meta AI can benefit you as a small business owner.
What is Meta AI?
In a nutshell, Meta AI is a new intelligent assistant built into Meta’s suite of apps.
Using the power of artificial intelligence, Meta AI allows users to get their questions answered using information and content sourced from Google, Bing, Instagram and Facebook.
Plus, users can ask Meta AI to generate or animate images and even leverage Meta AI’s chatbot in group chats across Messenger and WhatsApp.
After initially launching in the US back in 2023, Meta AI has just been rolled out to a range of markets in April 2024. Following the rise of conversational generative AI platforms (like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini), Meta’s Llama 3 is an AI assistant that has been trained to follow instructions, visualise ideas, and solve nuanced problems—all while chatting with users in conversational, everyday language.
How Meta AI works
Just like other chat-based GenAI tools, Meta AI uses text-based prompts to deliver content recommendations and answers to users. In practical terms that means users can:
- Access information easily within search: within the search bar on Instagram and Facebook, you can click on popular prompts (from ‘low-cost hobby ideas’ to ‘cute kitten videos’). From there, a chat thread will appear, with Meta AI providing instant answers in the form of text responses, recommended Meta content (Reels and feed posts) as well as summaries of Google search results (along with direct links to keep reading).
- Learn more about topics you care about in the Feed: discover an interesting post on your Facebook Feed? Meta AI allows you to dive deeper into this topic and ask questions to learn more.
- Get inspired and create content: Meta AI’s Imagine tool allows you to generate new images in seconds using text-based prompts. Plus, the tool can even animate existing images to create engaging GIFs.
- Enhance group chats and DM connections: within Messenger, Meta AI can make it easier to plan a night out or select the perfect recipes for your next group dinner. Simply tag @Meta in a group chat to receive answers to your questions!
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First impressions: How will Meta AI impact small businesses?
Meta AI has already been met with confusion and even criticism, with one of the most popular search queries being, “how do you turn off Meta AI?”.
(Spoiler alert: you can’t).
Like most early-stage AI tools, Meta AI is prone to inaccuracies and has been frequently found to ‘hallucinate’ or offer incorrect information to search queries. Being an experimental new technology means it’s important to take responses with a grain of salt and always fact-check important information elsewhere
While its real utility is still unclear, this product release feels like a ‘tip of the iceberg’ moment. In the months and years ahead, it’s quite possible we could see Meta AI offering handy summaries of group chat conversations to keep everyone up-to-date or even serving more tailored search query recommendations (rather than the generic terms currently listed under the search bar).
Here at Plann, we already see a range of helpful ways business owners can harness Meta AI to unlock content creation efficiencies and even learn more about competitors by:
- Experimenting with Meta AI’s content creation capabilities: Need to produce a photo or animate an existing asset? Use Meta AI’s Imagine tool to create or elevate your content, saving you valuable content creation time.
- Using the chatbot to see how content is being recommended: Search for keywords and phrases related to your business to see what content is being displayed by Meta AI. This can help you identify trends and patterns in the search results to optimize your content for success and even identify key competitors who are nailing their content strategy.
- Engaging with Meta AI early to build confidence: We predict that Meta is only going to expand its AI capabilities, so now is the time to get familiar with this chatbot to ensure you’re ready to leverage any new features and functionality that are rolled out in the future.
Ultimately, there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to Meta AI. For now, the best thing businesses can do is to engage with the chatbot and search engine functionality to stay across the latest changes and tools.
Over time, it’s likely that Meta AI’s content recommendations and responses will become more tailored and personalised to the habits of each user. In the meantime, testing and experimenting with new ways to leverage these tools is going to ensure you keep up with the evolving world of social media in the AI era.
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Streamline your social media content creation with Plann
Artificial intelligence is here to stay, so it’s important that you learn what it means for your business processes and social strategy going forward. The stronger your understanding, the more effectively you can use AI to achieve your goals.
Looking for a helping hand managing your social media strategy and content? Plann has your back. We offer an all-in-one social media suite, packed with handy content prompts, and high-performing hashtag recommendations, easy cross-posting features and so much more.
Plus, don’t miss Plann’s powerful AI caption generator! Tell us a few key details about your post idea and our our advanced AI Caption Generator will instantly create the perfect caption including relevant hashtags, and even add a compelling call-to-action to encourage audience engagement.
Go on, and redeem your 7-day free trial of Plann Plus. If you don’t like it, keep using Plann for free!
