Meta Connect 2024: Meta AI gets a voice, image editing feature, lip-sync translation tool, more

Meta AI update: Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta Platforms announced a host of new features for the company's generative artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbot, Meta AI, at Meta Connect 2024. In addition to updating the Large Language Model (LLM) powering Meta AI to Llama 3.2, Meta announced new tools that will be available to Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook users.

As Meta starts rolling out the updated Meta AI to WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, take a look at its top features:

Edit images on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook

Until now, users could ask Meta AI to generate new images based on text-based prompts. Now, users can also ask Meta AI to make changes to their images. Meta, in a post announcing the changes, wrote that now users can send an image in a chat with Meta AI and ask it to make specific changes in it.

"Now you can send an image in a chat with Meta AI and tell Meta AI what you want added, removed or changed in the photo – from changing your outfit to replacing the background with a rainbow," the company wrote.

Create background on Instagram

Another feature that is coming to Meta AI on Instagram is the ability to create background for the photos that are re-shared from the Feed to the Story. Meta says that when a user re-shares a photo from their Instagram feed to their story, Meta's new Backgrounds feature will understand what is in the image and then generate a background for the story.

Use voice on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook

Meta also announced that it is bringing voice to Meta AI on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram DMs. With this, users will be able to use voice-based commands to ask questions or make requests to Meta AI. Meta AI will respond to users just like other AI assistants, such as Alexa and Google Assistant, do.

Furthermore, the company said that as a part of the roll out, users will be able to choose from a total of six celebrity voices, which includes Awkwafina, Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell.

Automatic lip syncing and dubbing on Instagram, Facebook

Lastly, the company said that it is testing a Meta AI translation tool that will automatically translate the audio of Reels into other languages in the speaker's voice while lip-syncing it.

Meta says that this feature will be available as a test on Instagram and Facebook in Latin America and the US and that it will support English and Spanish in the beginning. Meta will expand its availability to more creators and languages in the future.