Meta AI Joins Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger: What to Know

James Martin/CNET

Meta AI, the company’s open-source AI chatbot, is being ramped up across Meta’s platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp. Eagle-eyed users spotted Meta testing more prominent integration of the chatbot on April 15, and Mark Zuckerberg just announced the official rollout has begun.

Zuckerberg also announced that the chatbot is now powered by Llama 3. This is one of the most significant updates to the product since it was first released at the company’s Connect event last year.

You’ll also be able to use Meta AI using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses — which makes sense since Meta has already begun integrating AI into the smart glasses as well as making them compatible with Meta platforms like Instagram. The one Meta platform you won’t be able to use Meta AI is Threads.

Here’s what you can expect from Meta AI across your Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp accounts.

What is Meta AI?

Meta AI is Meta’s ChatGPT competitor. You can use Meta AI to generate text, answer questions, create images and more. Meta claims that with this new update, it is the “most intelligent AI assistant that you can freely use.” Right now, it’s powered by Llama 3, a text-based generator, but Meta hopes that one day its AI will be able to do more advanced things like reason and code.

Here’s an example of how I used the web version of Meta AI to create an image. It made me log into my Facebook account first, but the photos are pretty nice. (Note the watermark in the lower left that indicates it’s AI-generated.) Screenshot by Katelyn Chedraoui

You can test drive Meta AI for yourself using any of your Meta-owned social accounts, including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp. You can also visit the new website for the chatbot.

Using Meta AI on Instagram and other Meta platforms

The recent updates make it easy to use Meta AI on its social media platforms. I tested the chatbot from my Instagram account. Here’s what I found.

Screenshot by Katelyn Chedraoui

First, it was super easy to find and chat with Meta AI. All I had to do was swipe left to my DMs and the search bar at the top prompted me to open a new chat with Meta AI. There were a bunch of prompts that Instagram suggested I try out, which I did by requesting a poem for the day. More noteworthy is Meta’s disclaimer that some messages “may be inaccurate or inappropriate.”

Zuckerberg called out in his video that Meta AI uses real-time information from Google and Bing to generate responses. Like any chatbot, it had some quirks and flaws. When I asked Meta AI when Taylor Swift’s new album was going to be released, it gave me the correct date and time but said the album would include four mystery bonus tracks. I read through the sources used to generate the response, and it seems like Meta AI missed the intended meaning of “mysterious” used in context. So not quite a hallucination, but still not quite accurate. (We know all the names of the confirmed bonus tracks.)

Screenshot by Katelyn Chedraoui

Perhaps what Meta AI will be the most helpful for is answering questions about Meta’s own platforms. I asked Meta AI to write me an Instagram caption about dogs, and it delivered a substantive, wholesome caption, complete with hashtags. I also queried when is the best time to post an Instagram story, and it gave me a thorough response about what Instagram recommended and tips for understanding my own audience engagement.

For more, check out our full review of ChatGPT 3.5 and tips for using the new Instagram Stories and Reels features.

Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.