Meta announced new artificial intelligence-powered options for Facebook, which will bring more advanced AI capabilities to users.
First, Meta wants to tap into the popularity of AI-powered discovery via an upgraded AI search experience.
The new search process aims to incorporate more insight from across Facebook, as Meta looks to capitalize on its knowledge base, powered by users.
As explained by Meta: “From exploring your Feed to searching for something specific, AI Mode uses Meta AI to give you answers grounded in what people are saying publicly across our apps like in Groups and Reels, so you get real perspectives and experiences rather than a generic list of search results.”
It’s another step in Meta’s broader effort to make better use of its massive trove of user data. The company also recently launched a new app called Forum, which is designed to make it easier for people to find answers based on Facebook group comments.
Essentially, Meta wants to tap into the way people and AI chatbots are using Reddit, with Reddit’s human-powered insights increasingly making it a key source for discovery. Indeed, Reddit is now one of the most cited sources for AI chatbot answers. Meta seems to think that it has much of the same insight hidden inside its groups, and it’s now trying to get that out to more users.
Facebook users are also getting new AI-powered photo and video editing tools, including improved transition and collage effects for camera roll sharing suggestions.
The updated tools build on the camera roll suggestions Meta announced in April. Those tools automatically scan images captured on a user’s device and recommend things users could post to Facebook.
These new photo and video transition effects will help users create collage videos from photos and let them show what they were up to over the past month, for example.
Though it remains a slightly creepy tool, with Meta digging into users’ personal images to present posting options. Meta has once again said that this is an entirely opt-in feature.
Finally, Meta is rolling out new photo presets that will make it easier to switch out clothing in an image with the use of AI.
“For sports fans, you can easily rep your fandom and virtually wear a team jersey to celebrate.” Meta said. “Just tap on the Edit with AI icon in stories and select Wear It or go directly to your profile picture and tap Restyle profile picture with AI and select Wardrobe.”
Most of these types of image-altering tools have received a lukewarm response. Meanwhile, AI tools in general are facing a public backlash more broadly, as more people raise concerns about the true value of AI features.
As such, it’s somewhat surprising to see Meta choosing to promote even more AI at this stage. But the company has invested hundreds of billions of dollars into AI development, and as such, it needs to get more people excited about the AI future in any way that it can.
Though even internally, Meta is now tempering its use of AI tools, with The Information reporting that overuse of AI is now pushing up company costs.
In some ways, it’s starting to feel like a bit of a catch-22 for Meta, in that the company needs more people to use AI, in order to showcase its value, yet the more that people use it, the more it costs to provide these options.
