Meta AI comes to the UK: Instagram, Facebook and Messenger get AI tool

They're some of the most popular apps in the UK. 

And if you use Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, you may notice a new purple-blue ring icon from today. 

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

This free AI tool is built in to Meta's apps, and will allow you to do everything from generate fake images, to plan dinners based on what's in your fridge. 

Here's how it works - and how you can try the AI tool through your favourite social media platform. 

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HOW CAN I USE META AI? 

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

Alternatively, if you're writing out a message to someone you can type '@MetaAI' to introduce the chatbot into the conversation. 

You can also head to meta.ai webpage to use the MetaAI on the web – although you will be asked to login to your Facebook or Instagram account. 

In addition, Meta's £300 smart glasses, made in partnership with Ray-Ban, get it in the form of an AI voice assistant. 

Although UK users only get Meta AI on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger for now, it will 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 out the latest football scores. 

For example, you could say 'give me some vegetarian dinner party recipe ideas' and it will respond in a similar style to ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. 

If you tell Meta AI what exactly is in your fridge, it will suggest meal ideas – helping you avoid going out to the shops to buy more ingredients.  

If you're cramming for an exam, you could ask it, 'summarize the history of the universe' or 'quiz me on the structure of a cell'. 

Or if you're conducting an online test from home, you could potentially get it to quickly give you the answer you can't quite remember off the top of your head.   

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Just like ChatGPT, Meta AI also has image-generation capabilities, which are swiftly proving a quick and popular way to quickly create a wide range of fanciful depictions. 

You could type '‘Imagine me surfing’ or ‘Imagine me on a beach vacation' and it will create an artist's impression, 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 response or funny sidebar to entertain your group chat.' 

You can also prompt it to create any kind of image you want that doesn't have your likeness in it – for example, 'a turtle in the ocean' or 'playing football on the moon'. 

You can be as bizarre as you want, whether it's 'baby's stroller with wheels like a motorbike' or 'having tea with an ostrich'. 

Or you can make it edit real photos to make them more fetching – for example by typing 'add sunglasses and colourful umbrellas in the background' to a photo of you with a friend. 

IS META AI SAFE?

Meta admits that your history with the chatbot will be 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 insights into our private lives, compared to what the firm already knows. 

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

'The fact we’re served personalised ads show how much the platform knows.

'I use Facebook and Instagram so I feel like they won’t be learning a lot more about me through my use of it.' 

Freeman acknowledged that AI chatbots often get things wrong, but said people 'need to remember that AI is learning all the time'. 

In the US, which has already had it for several months, the New York Times described it as 'fun to use' but added that it 'can't be trusted'. 

'It makes lots of mistakes when you treat it as a search engine,' the review said, adding: 'Meta AI fails spectacularly at basic search queries like looking up recipes, airfares and weekend activities.' 

What's more, the tech giant has caused controversy for admitting to training the chatbot with user data – in many cases without them knowing. 

In emails and notifications being sent to UK users, Meta said it's using posts, 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 hasn't told people it's using data in this way, in line with privacy laws. 

WHERE ELSE HAS META AI?

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

The tech giant said it will be 'coming soon' in Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Yemen.

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