Meta AI launches in Britain: Instagram, Facebook and Messenger have built-in AI that can generate fake images, plan dinners based on what’s in your fridge and help you cheat on tests – here’s how you can try it

They are some of the most popular apps in Britain.

And if you use Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, you may see a new purple and blue ring icon starting today.

Tapping this icon will open Meta’s AI chatbot, Meta AI, which launched in the UK today.

This free AI tool is built into Meta’s apps and lets you do everything from generating fake images to planning dinners based on what’s in your fridge.

Here’s how it works – and how you can try out the AI ​​tool via your favorite social media platform.

HOW CAN I USE META AI?

To access the tool, open Instagram, Facebook or Messenger and tap the round blue and purple ring icon.

When writing a message to someone, you can also type “@MetaAI” to introduce the chatbot into the conversation.

You can also go to the meta.ai webpage to use the MetaAI on the web, although you will be asked to log in to your Facebook or Instagram account.

Additionally, Meta’s £300 smart glasses, made in partnership with Ray-Ban, come in the form of an AI voice assistant.

Although British users will only get Meta AI on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger for now, it will also come to WhatsApp ‘in the near future’.

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg said he expects Meta AI to be “the most used and best AI assistant in the world” by the end of 2024.

WHAT DOES META AI DO?

Meta says the tool can be used for ‘just about anything’, from how-to tips, game ideas, lunch recipes and finding the latest football scores.

For example, you could say “give me some vegetarian recipe ideas for a dinner party” and it will respond in the same way as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.

If you tell Meta AI what exactly is in your fridge, it will suggest meal ideas so you don’t have to go to the store to buy more ingredients.

If you’re studying for an exam, you might ask, “summarize the history of the universe” or “ask me about the structure of a cell.”

Or if you take an online test at home, you may be able to quickly give it the answer you can’t quite remember off the top of your head.

Like ChatGPT, Meta AI also features image generation capabilities, which are quickly proving to be a fast and popular way to quickly create a wide range of imaginative images.

You can type ‘Imagine me surfing’ or ‘Imagine me on a beach holiday’ and an artistic impression will be created, using photos of you as a starting point.

Meta says: ‘From there you can share the images with friends and family, giving you the perfect reaction or funny sidebar to entertain your group chat.’

You can also ask him to create an image that does not contain your likeness, for example “a turtle in the ocean” or “playing football on the moon.”

You can be as bizarre as you want, whether it’s ‘a stroller with wheels like a motor’ or ‘having tea with an ostrich’.

Or you can have real photos edited to make them more attractive, for example by typing “add sunglasses and colorful umbrellas in the background” to a photo of you with a friend.

IS META AI SAFE?

Meta admits that your history with the chatbot is saved – although it says you can delete an old conversation with Meta AI at any time.

Social media consultant Rhea Freeman said she will use the tool because she doesn’t think it will give Meta any additional insight into our private lives, compared to what the company already knows.

“Meta knows a lot about users of its platforms anyway, and it’s naive of us to think otherwise,” Freeman told MailOnline.

‘The fact that we see personalized advertisements shows how much the platform knows.

“I use Facebook and Instagram, so I feel like they won’t learn much about me from using them.”

Freeman acknowledged that AI chatbots often get things wrong, but said people should “remember that AI is constantly learning.”

In the US, where it has been around for several months, the New York Times described it as “fun to use” but added that it “cannot be trusted.”

“It makes a lot of mistakes if you treat it like a search engine,” the review said, adding: “Meta AI fails spectacularly on simple queries like looking up recipes, airline tickets, and weekend activities.”

Additionally, the tech giant has courted controversy for admitting to training the chatbot with user data – in many cases without their knowledge.

In emails and notifications sent to UK users, Meta says it uses messages, comments, photos and even captions so the AI ​​can accurately “reflect and understand British language, geography and culture.”

But in other countries around the world, including the US and Australia, Meta has not told people it is using data in this way, in accordance with privacy laws.

WHERE ELSE DOES META HAVE AI?

Meta AI was first launched in the US in September 2023, but has now been rolled out in the UK, as well as Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala, Paraguay and the Philippines.

The tech giant said it will take place “soon” in Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Yemen.

In the UK, Meta AI is available in English, but will be available in other languages ​​by the end of this year.