Meta has introduced its final major AI update of the year, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiling the 70-billion-parameter Llama 3.3 model. According to Zuckerberg, the new model performs almost as effectively as the company’s 405-billion-parameter model but with greater efficiency.
This new iteration of Meta’s Llama system is set to broaden its potential applications, allowing more developers to build on the company’s open-source AI protocols, which have seen widespread adoption.
Zuckerberg claims that Llama is now the most widely adopted AI model globally, having been downloaded over 650 million times. Meta remains committed to open-sourcing its AI tools, believing that this will foster innovation while also positioning the company as the backbone of many more AI projects, potentially increasing its market power in the future.
The push for greater influence extends beyond AI, as Meta continues its efforts to cement its leadership in virtual reality (VR). By collaborating with third parties, the company aims to expand its offerings on both AI and VR fronts, positioning its tools as the standard for the next phase of digital connectivity.
Zuckerberg also shared Meta’s plans to establish a new AI data centre in Louisiana, alongside an initiative to explore an undersea cabling project. Furthermore, Zuckerberg highlighted that Meta AI is on track to become the most widely used AI assistant in the world, with 600 million monthly active users.
However, the claim that Meta AI has 600 million users may not be entirely clear. With more than 3 billion active users across its suite of apps—Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp—Meta has integrated its AI assistant into these platforms. Additionally, random prompts encouraging users to generate AI images within these apps have likely contributed to the high user figures.
While it’s no surprise that Meta AI has accumulated such a large user base, what remains unclear is how engaged these users are with the assistant. A more telling statistic would be the amount of time users spend interacting with the AI bot and how often they return to it.
In the end, while Meta’s focus on AI tools is undeniable, the true value of these innovations for the company may come in the next phase, as VR becomes more integrated into users’ daily lives.
