The Middle East and North Africa will now have access to Meta AI, the company’s AI assistant, which will enable users in the region to learn, create, and connect with the things and people that are most important to them. The feature is being rolled out gradually throughout the region; in key markets like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Iraq, full accessibility is already available.
The blue circle icon in Meta’s apps makes it easy to find Meta AI, which is conveniently spread throughout the Meta family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger) and doesn’t require any prior registration. By just typing “@Meta AI,” you can use it in group chats, which makes it perfect for brainstorming, planning, and rapid research with friends.
For example, users who are looking for island destinations for a spring vacation with their families that are no more than six hours’ flight from the United Arab Emirates can just mention @Meta AI in the group chat, and it will instantly provide a customized list of ideas for the group to consider.
Modern Llama 3.2, Meta’s largest and most powerful open-source large language model, is the foundation of Meta AI. It can produce text and create and animate images right within Meta apps. By just typing “Imagine” and a thorough description of the image they wish to create, users can experiment with Meta AI’s image-generation Imagine feature.
Meta AI can create an image in real time with the option to animate it when you type, for instance, “Imagine a tiger wearing a vest drinking tea at a café.”
Additionally, the expansion adds support for Arabic, expanding the reach of Meta AI throughout the region.
“Meta AI is one of the world’s leading AI assistants already on your phone, in your pocket for free. Combining accessibility with cutting-edge technology, it serves as a gateway to a smarter, more connected life for millions of users in the MENA region. We believe that having a reliable assistant will be one of the defining benefits of this generation of AI. With Meta AI on track to become the most used AI assistant in the world by the end of the year, we’re excited to bring its transformative potential to communities across the region,” says Fares Akkad, Regional Director for Middle East and Africa at Meta.
Meta is launching “Elevating Every Moment,” a content series aimed at assisting users in realizing the full potential of Meta AI, to commemorate the introduction of Meta AI in the Middle East and North Africa. The series will showcase partnerships with local Instagram creators, such as Yara Boumonsef, Amro Maskoun, Raghad Zamel, and Abdullah Al Sabe, among others, through useful advice, real-world applications, and in-depth analyses. On its official Meta Arabia page, Meta will also launch an educational series that will provide tips on creating useful prompts to help with daily tasks, whether they are personal or professional.
“We’re seeing people use Meta AI to dive deep on projects that spark their interest, get help with how-to tasks, and use the assistant for guidance on things like art projects, home decor, outfit inspiration, and more. Image generation has been especially popular, and I’m excited to see how people in our region will find new, creative ways to make the most of what AI can offer,” said Fares Akkad, Regional Director for Middle East and Africa at Meta.
The intuitive nature of Meta AI presents a multitude of opportunities to improve day-to-day living. After this phased rollout, users in the area can anticipate more innovative and cutting-edge multimodal features in the future. These include the “Imagine Me” feature, which creates customizable portraits that can be altered in real time, real-life image editing, and simultaneous dubbing for Reels content. Additionally, Meta AI will soon incorporate cutting-edge tools to assist users in creating captions for their posts, facilitating connection and creativity like never before.
By the end of the year, Meta AI is already on course to surpass all other AI assistants in usage, with almost 700 million monthly active users and support in 42 countries and 13 languages.
