Mark Zuckerberg Reveals AI Assistant and Facebook-Streaming Glasses at Meta Connect 2023

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed an array of cutting-edge AI products for consumers during the Meta Connect conference. These innovations include AI-generated photo-realistic images, smart glasses with AI assistants, and an updated virtual-reality headset, all designed to bridge the gap between the virtual and real worlds. Zuckerberg emphasized that Meta offers cost-effective or free AI solutions that seamlessly integrate into daily life.

Meta's Quest VR headset was hailed as a bestseller in the emerging VR market, and company executives highlighted its exceptional value compared to industry competitors, including Apple's upcoming, higher-priced headset.

Zuckerberg, speaking from Meta's Silicon Valley campus during the Meta Connect conference, announced the release of the new generation of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, slated to ship on October 17 at a price point of $299. These glasses incorporate a Meta AI assistant and introduce the ability to livestream directly to Facebook and Instagram, a notable advancement over the previous model's photo-capture capabilities.

At the conference, Zuckerberg also disclosed that the latest Quest mixed-reality headset would start shipping on October 10, alongside Meta's debut consumer-facing generative AI products. Among these is Meta AI, a versatile chatbot capable of generating both text responses and highly realistic images.

Zuckerberg stated, "Sometimes we innovate by releasing something that's never been seen before, but sometimes we innovate by taking something that is awesome but super expensive and making it so it can be affordable for everyone or even free."

Meta AI will serve as an integrated assistant in the smart glasses, beginning with a beta rollout in the United States. A planned software update for the following year will empower the assistant to identify objects and locations in the user's field of vision and perform language translation.

Meta developed Meta AI using a custom model based on the powerful Llama 2 large language model released for public commercial use in July. The chatbot will have access to real-time information through a partnership with Microsoft's Bing search engine.

In an interview, Meta Global Affairs President Nick Clegg emphasized the steps taken to filter private information from the data used to train the model and the restrictions in place to prevent the creation of realistic images of public figures.

Meta also revealed plans to create a platform that enables developers and individuals to design custom AI bots, which will have profiles on Instagram and Facebook and eventually appear as avatars in the metaverse. The company showcased a set of 28 chatbots with distinct personalities, mimicking the voices of celebrities such as Charli D'Amelio, Snoop Dogg, and Tom Brady to demonstrate the tool's capabilities.

These announcements appear to focus on enhancing existing apps and devices rather than introducing new advertising platforms or revenue streams.

Zuckerberg also disclosed that Xbox cloud gaming would be available on Quest in December.

The launch of Quest 3 and the introduction of AI products signify Zuckerberg's strategy to pivot from augmented and virtual reality to artificial intelligence, reflecting the evolving investor landscape. Last year, investors criticized Meta for its metaverse investments, resulting in significant layoffs to fund Zuckerberg's vision.

Developers are closely watching these developments to assess potential applications for Meta's latest hardware, while investors eagerly await signs of a return on Meta's strategic investments.