Hey folks, let’s talk about something pretty cool that a lot of you Instagram fans have probably noticed popping up lately – Meta AI integration! You know Meta, right? The company formerly known as Facebook, now hellbent on being at the forefront of consumer AI and virtual assistants.
Well, their latest AI helper has started rolling out across Instagram and other Meta apps. And let me tell you, it’s giving us a neat little glimpse into the future of how artificial intelligence might become a seamless part of our daily app experiences.
We’re gonna look at exactly what this new Meta AI can do on Instagram, why you might want to try it out, and most importantly, how to actually access and start using it. Let’s dive in!
What is Meta AI?
Okay, first off – what exactly is this “Meta AI” thing I keep mentioning?
Simply put, it’s an advanced AI language model that Meta has developed to serve as a virtual assistant across all of their apps and services. Modern AI like this can engage in conversations, answer questions, analyze data, and even generate content like images or text from simple prompts.
Meta first unveiled their AI assistant last September. But the current rollout integrates their latest and most powerful AI model yet, dubbed “Llama 3,” directly into apps like Instagram.
Seems Meta’s big long-term goal is to make an AI assistant feel like just another natural part of how we create, browse, and interact through their platforms.
Tapping the AI for Help on Instagram
So how might you actually want to use Meta AI on Instagram? Well, it can help out in all sorts of ways, like:
- Getting advice, recommendations or explanations on any topic
- Having it generate creative image ideas from text prompts
- Getting help writing the perfect punchy caption for your latest post
- Geeking out on shared interests like movies, music, books etc.
You can think of Meta AI like a knowledgeable virtual friend who’s always ready to lend a hand. Handy for an app centered around visuals, sharing, and self-expression, right?
Of course, the AI isn’t perfect. Like most language models, it can sometimes give weird responses or straight-up hallucinate false information. But it’s still an intriguing peek at how consumer AI will only keep getting more and more integrated into our online experiences going forward.
How To Get Meta AI On Instagram?
Okay, enough setup – let’s look at how you can actually start putting this AI helper to use on Instagram!
Start an AI Chat
The primary way to interact with Meta AI is to start a dedicated chat conversation with it. Here’s how:
- Tap the Instagram DM icon (paper airplane) like you’re starting a new message
- Instead of picking a friend though, tap the bright blue “Create an AI chat” option
- Select the Meta AI assistant from the list
- Start the chat by typing out a message or using one of the suggested prompts like “Tell me about yourself”
From there, you can have a back-and-forth conversation with the AI asking it questions, getting recommendations, or prompting it to creative tasks like generating images.
You’ll see the AI’s responses marked with the Meta logo. And you can provide feedback to help it improve by long-pressing individual messages and rating them as good or bad.
There are also some handy AI commands you can try by entering things like “/imagine” to have it generate images, or “/write” to have it draft text for you.
Access AI Through Posts and Stories
In addition to dedicated chats, Meta AI may also chime in at other times while you’re browsing Instagram:
- You might see AI-generated content cards mixed in with your main feed
- When viewing photos or videos, Instagram may suggest tapping the AI for more context
- For stories, you’ll see an “AI” option that lets you apply fun AI effects or backdrops
Just remember, anything with that telltale Meta logo beside it is AI-generated. If you’d rather stick to the classic Instagram experience, you can ignore or dismiss those AI suggestions.
Give Feedback to Keep It Improving
Like any AI assistant, Meta AI isn’t perfect – it’s going to make mistakes, give weird responses, or just struggle with more complex tasks. But the more people use it and provide feedback, the smarter it will get over time.
Whenever you rate an AI response as “good” or “bad”, Instagram learns a little more about what users find helpful versus not. You can also submit general feedback through the Instagram app requesting new AI features or improvements.
The more we, as consumers, make our voices heard on what we want from AI assistants in social apps, the better Meta and others can tune their systems to be as useful as possible.
Be Patient – It’s Still Early Days
At the end of the day, AI assistance like this is still very new tech that’s rapidly evolving. While services like Meta AI can already be really cool and helpful, they’re still far from perfect.
You might run into subpar responses, hallucinations, or just have the AI struggle to understand context at times. If it’s not living up to expectations yet, just be patient! AI will only keep getting smarter and more helpful through continued use and feedback.
For now though, I’d recommend giving the new Meta AI a try yourself on Instagram. Use those instructions above to strike up a chat or check out the AI suggestions as you browse. And hey, at the very least, you can have some fun prompting it to generate wild images or story effects!
As a culture, we’re still very much figuring out the role AI is going to play in how we use apps and the internet. So why not get an early peek at the future and form your own opinion? Let me know your first impressions of Meta AI down in the comments!