Meta's AI Ambitions Soar with WhatsApp's 500 Million Indian Users

Meta's AI Ambitions Soar with WhatsApp's 500 Million Indian Users

Meta AI's Rapid Adoption in India

Meta CFO Susan Li announced on Wednesday that India has become the largest market for Meta AI usage, a significant milestone achieved just a few months after its launch in the country. During Meta’s second-quarter earnings call, Li highlighted that Meta AI has been utilized for billions of queries since its introduction. “We’re seeing particularly promising signs on WhatsApp in terms of retention and engagement, which has coincided with India becoming our largest market for Meta AI usage,” she noted.

Global Expansion and Upgrades

Meta first launched Meta AI in the United States last year, integrating it across Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and the web. The company upgraded the chatbot with the new Llama 3 model in April, expanding its reach to over a dozen countries. Meta started testing Meta AI in India around the same time, but it wasn’t widely available until June, following the completion of India’s general elections.

Cultural Challenges and Adjustments

Meta has faced cultural challenges in tailoring AI for the Indian market. In May, TechCrunch reported that Meta AI-generated images of Indian men predominantly featured turbans. In July, users on X complained that Meta AI generated jokes about one religion while refusing to do the same for others. These inconsistent results led Meta to tweak its algorithm to ensure a level playing field for religious jokes.

Language Support and Further Expansion

Last month, Meta introduced support for several languages apart from English, including French, German, Hindi, Hindi-Romanized Script, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Meta AI is now available in 22 countries, with recent additions such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico.

Future Developments and Increased Computing Needs

Meta's AI ambitions extend beyond current models, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussing the need for significantly more computing power to train the next Llama 4 model. “The amount of computing needed to train Llama 4 will likely be almost 10 times more than what we used to train Llama 3, and future models will continue to grow beyond that,” Zuckerberg said during the call.

Growth in Social Networks

Beyond AI, Meta reported promising trends for its social networks. The company noted that Threads, its Twitter/X rival, now has “almost” 200 million users, surpassing 175 million active users last month. Additionally, Zuckerberg mentioned positive results in Facebook usage among young adults in the U.S.

Meta's AI Expansion in India Drives Global Growth

Meta’s ambitious AI expansion, driven by WhatsApp's 500 million users in India, reflects its global growth strategy and commitment to enhancing user engagement and retention through advanced AI technologies.