- Meta is testing its Meta AI chatbot in India and Africa on WhatsApp and other apps.
- India, with over 500 million Facebook and WhatsApp users, is Meta’s largest single market.
- Meta aims to compete with other tech firms in the AI race.
Meta has confirmed that it is testing Meta AI, its large language model-powered chatbot, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger users in India and parts of Africa.
The move highlights Meta’s plan to leverage the massive user bases across its various apps to scale its AI offerings.
India and Africa: key markets for Meta’s AI expansion
India, where users have recently started noticing the appearance of the Meta AI chatbot, is a crucial market for the company, boasting over 500 million Facebook and WhatsApp users, making it Meta’s largest single market.
Developing markets, such as those in Africa, where smartphone users are growing faster than in developed markets like the U.S., are also a significant target for Facebook to engage audiences new services.
Meta’s push to compete in the AI race
Meta unveiled Meta AI, its general-purpose assistant, in September 2023. The AI chatbot is designed to answer user queries directly within chats and offer the ability to generate photorealistic images from text prompts.
Meta’s move to integrate its AI chatbot into its popular apps comes as the company seeks to catch up other major tech firms in the AI race, following OpenAI’s success ChatGPT.
