Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg envisions AI as a tool to empower people, especially creators, rather than replace them. During a fireside chat with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the SIGGRAPH conference, Zuckerberg outlined how Meta's AI tools could enable individuals and small businesses to create digital twins of themselves. These AI versions would act as agents or assistants, helping manage interactions with their communities.
The importance of this vision lies in its contrast to common fears about generative AI potentially destroying jobs. Zuckerberg emphasized that creators often need more hours to engage with their followers as much as desired. Digital twins could answer direct messages, chat with followers, and perform various tasks, providing the next best personal interaction. This technology would allow people to create customized AI agents for different purposes, from utility to entertainment.
Like other tech giants, Meta faces scrutiny from investors regarding its AI investments. Earlier this year, the company acknowledged that revenue from AI products would be insignificant despite significant investments. With over 3 billion people using at least one of Meta's apps daily, there's abundant data to fuel these AI tools. Zuckerberg mentioned that Meta aims to use this data to quickly set up business agents capable of interacting with customers, handling sales, and providing support. Additionally, this data might be used to generate content dynamically to maintain user engagement.
For creators, this vision offers potential relief from burnout by delegating routine tasks to AI. However, it also raises concerns about increased competition and pressure to adapt strategies in response to more AI-generated content in their feeds.
The interaction between Huang and Zuckerberg was notable, with both CEOs complimenting each other's successes. Huang humorously remarked on Zuckerberg's new style, including his longer hair and gold chain, and teased him about influencing glasses styles as Meta develops new iterations of Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. Zuckerberg acknowledged the need to pay more attention to style if Meta is to succeed in the wearable tech market.