Meta is preparing to unveil new AI products at its annual Connect conference on Wednesday as the technology giant faces growing challenges around its push into artificial intelligence.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to deliver the keynote at the developer-focused event from Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters at 4pm PT.
The company has been investing billions of dollars in AI and earlier this month launched Muse, its first agentic consumer app designed to carry out tasks such as booking appointments, making calls and signing up for services.
Muse uses Meta’s own AI models and is positioned to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. Instacart, Shopify and Expedia have announced partnerships to integrate their services with the app.
However, Amazon this week blocked Meta from using AI bots to automatically shop for users on its platform.
Meta is also expected to showcase further developments in its smart glasses push. The company launched its first interactive smart glasses in 2021 and has since expanded into AI-enabled eyewear through its partnership with EssilorLuxottica.
Last year, Meta introduced augmented reality glasses capable of projecting images onto their lenses, while its smart glasses have faced privacy concerns over their ability to record people nearby.
Meta has said a recording indicator light will remain visible when the camera is being used and that attempts to disable the indicator will shut down the camera.
The company is also reportedly developing audio-only glasses and a new generation of mixed reality eyewear.
Beyond its AI and hardware ambitions, Meta continues to face scrutiny over children’s safety and privacy. In August, the company reached a settlement with dozens of US attorneys general over allegations that it violated consumer protection and children’s online privacy laws.
Under the settlement, Meta agreed to pay up to US$18 billion and introduce additional restrictions for teenage users.
The company also faces restrictions on younger users in several markets and thousands of personal injury lawsuits in the US that remain before state courts.
AFP
