Meta has officially launched its AI chatbot, Meta AI, in six countries including Brazil, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Paraguay as of October 9, 2024. This expansion is part of the company's strategy to make Meta AI available in 43 countries and support a dozen languages by the end of 2024, potentially positioning it as the world's most popular AI assistant.
The launch introduces Tagalog language support, with plans for Arabic, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese to be added soon. Users can access the AI assistant via Meta's platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Additionally, the AI will be available on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in the UK and Australia, although full multimodal capabilities are not yet specified for UK users.
Notably absent from this rollout is the European Union, as Meta has cited regulatory challenges preventing the provision of multimodal AI services in that region. Future expansions are planned for several Middle Eastern and Asian countries, enhancing Meta AI's linguistic capabilities.
This strategic move comes alongside Meta's announcement to begin producing virtual reality headsets in Vietnam starting in 2025, highlighting the company's ongoing investment in AI and technology.