Meta is expanding its AI portfolio, aiming to reshape the way users interact with its platforms by integrating voice, image recognition, and AI-generated content across its ecosystem. With more than 400 million people using Meta AI monthly and 185 million engaging weekly, the company’s AI ambitions have reached a major milestone. At its recent Connect event, Meta showcased its latest AI offerings, from voice-enabled assistants to advanced photo-editing tools. But as the industry moves towards more natural human-machine interactions, it’s also navigating a minefield of ethical challenges, as evidenced by recent controversies involving competitor OpenAI.
Voice Revolution Across Meta Platforms
One of the headline announcements from Meta is the rollout of voice interaction with its AI assistant across platforms like Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. This update enables users to interact with Meta AI via voice commands, where the AI will respond verbally. It’s a significant step towards enhancing the human-computer interface, making the digital experience more conversational and personal.
Meta’s offering comes with the option to select from celebrity-inspired voices including Awkwafina, Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan Michael Key, and Kristen Bell. This aligns with a broader trend in the AI industry to personalize user interactions through voice, a move already being explored by both OpenAI and Google’s Gemini.
Google’s Gemini AI, for instance, has been designed to handle multiple forms of input—text, images, and voice—signifying a shift towards more fluid and seamless AI experiences across different modalities. Similarly, OpenAI has integrated voice into its flagship GPT models, allowing users to have real-time conversations with the AI.
Controversy in the Voice AI Space: OpenAI’s Scarlett Johansson Fiasco
Yet, the race to perfect voice interaction has not been without controversy. Last year, OpenAI faced a major backlash when one of its voice models sounded uncannily like Scarlett Johansson’s character from the 2013 film Her, in which Johansson voiced an AI assistant. The resemblance triggered public outrage from the actress, who accused OpenAI of using her likeness without permission. Johansson’s legal team quickly became involved, and OpenAI was forced to pull down the voice to avoid further legal action. The incident raised important questions about intellectual property, consent, and ethical AI practices—especially as AI-generated content becomes increasingly sophisticated and harder to differentiate from human creation.
Meta, so far, has managed to avoid similar pitfalls, likely due to securing appropriate permissions for the celebrity voices they feature. However, the OpenAI case serves as a cautionary tale for the industry as a whole. As AI-generated content becomes more lifelike, companies will need to navigate a complex landscape of copyright, likeness rights, and privacy concerns.
AI Visual Recognition and Editing: Going Beyond Conversation
In addition to voice, Meta has introduced new features that leverage AI’s ability to interpret and manipulate visual content. Users can now share photos with Meta AI, and the assistant can recognize objects within the image and provide information about them. Whether identifying a type of flower or giving cooking instructions based on a dish, this feature represents a significant leap in making AI a more useful tool for everyday tasks.
But the updates don’t stop at object recognition. Meta AI can now assist users in editing photos, allowing them to make changes such as altering outfits or swapping out backgrounds—all through a simple chat. This positions Meta AI as a versatile tool for content creation, further integrating AI into the creative workflows of its users.
Content for Creators: AI-Powered Translations and Multilingual Reach
For creators, Meta is testing an AI-driven translation tool for Reels that could change the way content is consumed across languages. This feature will automatically dub videos, simulating the creator’s voice in a different language while lip-syncing the audio to match. This technology is currently being trialled with select creators in Latin America and the US, translating content between English and Spanish. As it expands to more languages, this tool could significantly broaden the reach of creators on Meta’s platforms, offering new opportunities for cross-cultural engagement.
The Business Angle: AI Tools for Commerce
Meta is not only focusing on individual users but also expanding its AI tools for businesses. The company is rolling out AI-powered customer service tools for businesses using click-to-message ads on WhatsApp and Messenger. These AI-driven bots can answer customer questions, discuss products, and even facilitate purchases. For businesses, this could mean a streamlined sales process and increased customer engagement.
Meta’s generative AI ad tools have also seen widespread adoption, with over 1 million advertisers using the technology to create more than 15 million ads in the last month. These AI-enhanced ads have proven to be effective, yielding an 11per cent higher click-through rate and 7.6 per cent higher conversion rate compared to standard campaigns, according to the company.
Ethical Considerations and the Road Ahead
While Meta’s AI advancements promise to revolutionise user experiences across its platforms, they also highlight the growing need for ethical governance in AI development. As Meta moves forward with AI-driven content generation, voice interaction, and business tools, it must remain vigilant about issues like privacy, consent, and transparency.
The voice controversy involving OpenAI and Scarlett Johansson serves as a stark reminder that as AI becomes more advanced, the boundaries between creation and replication blur, raising legal and ethical questions that the tech industry has only begun to grapple with. Meta’s careful approach—securing rights for celebrity voices—shows a recognition of these challenges, but the larger conversation about AI ethics is far from over
