Want to book movie tickets or plan holidays? Ask Meta AI on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook

Dubai: UAE residents can now use Meta AI, Meta’s AI assistant, on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger following its launch in the MENA region. Facebook’s parent company announced Monday that it has rolled out Meta AI to key Middle East and North Africa markets, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Iraq. Meta launched Meta AI in September 2023, initially introducing it to users in the US.

“Meta AI is one of the world’s leading AI assistants already on your phone, in your pocket for free. We believe that having a reliable assistant will be one of the defining benefits of this generation of AI,” said Fares Akkad, Regional Director for Middle East and Africa at Meta.

Meta AI is built with Llama 3.2, Meta’s open-source large language model. It can generate text and create and animate images directly within Meta apps. The expansion also introduces support for Arabic, said Meta.

How to use Meta AI?

Meta AI is accessible through its blue circle icon within Meta’s apps and requires no prior registration, Meta explained in a statement.

It can also be used in group chats by simply typing ‘@Meta AI,’ making it ideal for quick research, brainstorming, and “planning with friends.”

For instance, users planning a spring trip with their families and seeking ideas for island destinations within a maximum six-hour flight from the UAE can mention @Meta AI in the group chat. It will provide a tailored list of suggestions for the group to discuss in real time.

Users can explore Meta AI’s image-generation Imagine feature by simply typing “Imagine” followed by a detailed description of the image they want to create. For example, typing “Imagine a tiger wearing a vest drinking tea at a café” prompts Meta AI to generate the image in real-time, with the option to animate it.

“We’re seeing people use Meta AI to dive deep into projects that spark their interest, get help with how-to tasks, and use the assistant to guide things like art projects, home decor, outfit inspiration, and more. Image generation has been especially popular. I’m excited to see how people in our region will find new, creative ways to make the most of what AI can offer,” said Akkad.

While Meta AI focuses on integrating deeply into Meta’s ecosystem, it shares similarities with other large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and DeepSeek but also differs in certain ways. For example, Meta AI was built to serve as a personal assistant within WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. However, ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a general-purpose conversational AI that can be used for various tasks across various platforms and industries.