Meta Connect 2024 revealed a comprehensive set of advancements last week aimed at enhancing the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) for businesses and users alike.

Meta’s latest announcements focus on providing solutions that streamline customer engagement, boost productivity, and enable new ways to interact with technology. These tools offer valuable tools for businesses looking to leverage cutting-edge tech to drive growth.

Expanded AI Tools for Businesses: Streamlining Engagement

One of the standout announcements from Meta Connect 2024 was the expansion of AI tools designed specifically for business use. Meta introduced new AI-powered business chatbots that can engage with customers through click-to-message ads on WhatsApp and Messenger. These AI chatbots are capable of handling a range of tasks, including answering common questions, discussing products, and even finalising purchases, all of which can help businesses improve customer service while driving sales.

These tools are particularly valuable for businesses that handle a high volume of customer inquiries but may not have the resources for full-time support teams. By automating routine customer interactions, companies can engage with more customers in real time, reduce response times, and improve the overall customer experience. The AI’s ability to provide 24/7 assistance makes it an ideal solution for businesses looking to scale their customer service without significantly increasing costs.

In addition to expanding its chatbot capabilities, Meta also highlighted the success of its generative AI ad tools. More than one million advertisers have used these tools in the past month, generating over 15 million ads. Campaigns using these AI-powered features saw an 11% higher click-through rate and a 7.6% increase in conversion rates compared to traditional campaigns. These figures underscore the growing importance of AI in improving ad performance and driving business outcomes.

Meta AI: Voice and Vision Capabilities

Meta Connect 2024 also introduced several new features for Meta AI, further solidifying its role as a powerful tool for businesses. Meta AI, which is on track to become the world’s most-used AI assistant with 400 million monthly users, now has enhanced multimodal features thanks to the latest Llama 3.2 model.

One of the key updates is the ability for Meta AI to now respond via voice, allowing users to engage with the assistant across platforms like Messenger, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram DM. Businesses can use this feature to provide voice-activated customer service, allowing customers to ask questions, request information, or complete transactions using natural language commands. This creates a more intuitive user experience and enables businesses to offer hands-free interaction, enhancing accessibility and convenience.

Meta AI’s new visual capabilities are also noteworthy. Users can now share photos in chats with Meta AI and receive contextual information about the images. For businesses, this feature could be used to provide quick information or recommendations based on visual inputs. For example, a customer could share a photo of a product they’re interested in, and the AI could provide details or offer similar items for purchase. The AI can also edit images based on user requests, such as removing or adding elements, giving businesses more creative control over visual content.

Meta is testing a translation tool that will automatically dub Reels with synchronised lip movements, allowing content creators to reach wider audiences across different languages. This tool has significant implications for businesses looking to expand internationally or engage with multilingual audiences, as it reduces the friction associated with language barriers.

AR, VR and AI

Meta’s ambitions in AR and VR were also showcased through the introduction of Orion AR glasses and the more affordable Quest 3S VR headset. While Orion is still in development, these AR glasses aim to revolutionise how businesses approach immersive experiences. The glasses feature advanced hand-tracking and eye-tracking capabilities, offering applications for industries like retail, training, and education. Although not yet available to the public, Meta’s long-term vision is for these AR glasses to be used across a variety of business environments, providing real-time data and interactions in a hands-free format.

The Quest 3S VR headset, priced at $299, offers businesses a cost-effective way to explore virtual reality applications. With its rebuilt Horizon OS and improved support for 2D apps like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, the Quest 3S provides a versatile platform for virtual training, product demonstrations, and other immersive experiences that could enhance customer and employee engagement.

In a move to make AI interactions more engaging, Meta introduced celebrity voices for its AI chatbots. Users can now select from a range of AI voices, including Awkwafina, Dame Judi Dench, and John Cena, to handle interactions across platforms like Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram.

Looking Ahead: AI-Powered Growth

The overarching theme of Meta Connect 2024 was the growing role of AI in shaping the future of business.

With new voice and vision capabilities, Meta AI is becoming more versatile and user-friendly, offering businesses a range of tools to enhance customer engagement, streamline operations, and drive sales. The introduction of AR and VR products further expands the possibilities for immersive business applications, while the continued improvement of generative AI tools is already delivering tangible results in advertising performance.

As AI continues to evolve, businesses that adopt these technologies early are likely to see significant benefits in terms of efficiency, customer satisfaction, and growth. Meta’s ongoing investment in AI-driven business solutions suggests that this trend will only accelerate in the coming years, making AI, AR, and VR indispensable tools for businesses across industries.