# Meta’s Zuckerberg unveils AI projects aimed at building metaverse future
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-02-23
Category: TECHNOLOGY
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/technology
Meta Title: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveils AI advancements for the
Meta Description: Get insights into Meta's cutting-edge AI initiatives to create virtual worlds and revolutionise voice interactions in the metaverse.
URL: https://financedigest.com/metas-zuckerberg-unveils-ai-projects-aimed-at-building-metaverse-futurehtml

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By Elizabeth Culliford

(Reuters) -Facebook-owner [Meta](https://www.financedigest.com/german-regulator-stays-vigilant-as-meta-changes-vr-headset-rules.html) is working on artificial intelligence research to generate worlds through speech, improve how people chat to voice assistants and translate between languages, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday, as he sketched out key steps to building the metaverse.

Zuckerberg is betting that the metaverse, a futuristic idea of virtual environments where users can work, socialize and play, will be the successor to the mobile internet.

The key to unlocking a lot of these advances is AI,” he said, speaking at the [company’s live-streamed “Inside the Lab” event](https://www.financedigest.com/incentive-fm-group-wins-contract-with-global-events-company.html "Incentive Fm Group Wins Contract With Global Events Company").

Zuckerberg said Meta was working on a new class of generative AI models that will allow people to describe a world and generate aspects of it. In a prerecorded demo, Zuckerberg showcased an AI concept called Builder Bot, where he appeared as a legless 3D avatar on an island and gave speech commands to create a beach and then add clouds, trees and even a picnic blanket.

As we [advance this technology](https://www.financedigest.com/how-an-advanced-manufacturing-technology-can-make-your-business-more-3-dimensional.html "How an advanced manufacturing technology can make your business more 3-dimensional") further, you’ll be able to create nuanced worlds to explore and share experiences with others, with just your voice,” said Zuckerberg. He did not [set a timeline for these advancements or give more details on how Builder Bot works](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-employment-sector-set-for-huge-shift-over-1-5-million-people-to-trade-in-full-time-work-for-the-gig-economy.html "UK employment sector set for huge shift: Over 1.5 million people to trade in full-time work for ‘the gig economy’").

He said Meta was working on AI research to allow people to have more natural conversations with voice assistants, a step towards how people will [communicate with AI in the metaverse](https://www.financedigest.com/putting-collaboration-and-community-at-the-heart-of-the-metaverse.html "Putting collaboration and community at the heart of the metaverse"). He said the company’s Project CAIRaoke was “a fully end-to-end neural [model for building](https://www.financedigest.com/learning-from-the-disrupters-how-finance-brands-can-build-transformative-business-models.html "Learning from the disrupters – how finance brands can build transformative business models") on-device assistants.

A demonstration of the Project CAIRaoke tech showed a family using it to help cook a stew, with the [voice assistant](https://www.financedigest.com/voice-assistants-set-to-revolutionize-commerce-and-become-a-dominant-mode-of-consumer-interaction-in-the-next-three-years.html "Voice assistants set to revolutionize commerce and become a dominant mode of consumer interaction in the next three years") chiming in to warn that salt had already been added to the pot. The assistant also noticed they were running [low on salt and ordered](https://www.financedigest.com/volume-of-periodic-payment-orders-remains-low-according-to-aon-uk-motor-insurance-study.html "Volume of periodic payment orders remains low, according to Aon UK motor insurance study") more.

Meta said it was using the model within its video-calling Portal device and aimed to integrate it into devices with [augmented reality](https://www.financedigest.com/augmented-reality-ar-virtual-reality-vr-to-dictate-the-growth-of-mobile-operating-tables-market.html "Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) to dictate the growth of Mobile Operating Tables Market") (AR) and virtual reality (VR). In an interview with Reuters, Meta’s vice president for AI Jérôme Pesenti said it was tightly restricting the [responses of its new CAIRaoke-based assistant until it could ensure that the system](https://www.financedigest.com/personal-emergency-response-systems-market.html "Personal Emergency Response Systems Market") did not generate offensive language.

These language [models are very powerful](https://www.financedigest.com/host-analytics-releases-cloud-epm-platform-update-with-powerful-new-features-for-consolidation-and-modeling-to-help-organizations-achieve-peak-performance.html "Host Analytics Releases Cloud EPM Platform Update with Powerful New Features for Consolidation and Modeling to Help Organizations Achieve Peak Performance") … so we are making a lot of effort to be able to control them,” said Pesenti.

Zuckerberg also announced that Meta was working on a universal speech translator, aiming to provide instant speech-to-speech [translation across](https://www.financedigest.com/sdl-helps-lifeplus-engage-with-customers-across-50-countries-and-gain-control-of-translation-costs-and-processes.html "SDL Helps Lifeplus Engage with Customers across 50 Countries and Gain Control of Translation Costs and Processes") all languages. The company previously [set a goal](https://www.financedigest.com/norways-wealth-fund-tells-firms-to-set-net-zero-emission-goals.html "Norway’s wealth fund tells firms to set net zero emission goals") for its AI system to translate all written languages.

The social media company, which recently lost a third of its market value after a dismal earnings report, has invested heavily in its new focus on building the metaverse and [changed its name](https://www.financedigest.com/quidditch-becomes-quadball-as-sports-bodies-change-name.html "Quidditch becomes quadball as sport’s bodies change name") to reflect this ambition. This month Meta [reported a 2021 net loss of $10.2 billion](https://www.financedigest.com/australias-macquarie-explores-6-billion-deal-for-britains-mg-sky-news-reports.html "Australia’s Macquarie explores billion deal for Britain’s M&G, Sky News reports") from its Reality Labs, the company’s augmented and virtual reality business.

DIFFERENT BEAST

Meta is exploring how [artificial intelligence](https://www.financedigest.com/types-of-artificial-intelligence.html "Types of artificial intelligence") can be used to moderate content and activity in the [metaverse,](https://www.financedigest.com/beyond-the-hype-metaverse-and-the-future-of-financial-services.html) its AI head Pesenti told Reuters.

We use a lot of AI for moderation on our [main platforms](https://www.financedigest.com/paysafecard-doubles-down-on-esports-becomes-global-esl-payment-platform-partner-and-one-of-esls-main-sponsors-worldwide.html "paysafecard doubles down on esports, becomes Global ESL Payment Platform Partner and one of ESL’s main sponsors worldwide") … the metaverse is a bit of a different beast, it’s a lot more real-time,” said Pesenti, who said this was “evolving [work” and that Meta was still figuring out the policies for metaverse](https://www.financedigest.com/meetings-in-the-metaverse-how-likely-is-this-the-future-of-work.html "Meetings in the metaverse – how likely is this the future of work?") activity.

At the AI event, Zuckerberg said [Meta was preparing](https://www.financedigest.com/facebook-parent-meta-is-preparing-large-scale-layoffs-this-week-wsj.html "Facebook parent Meta is preparing large-scale layoffs this week – WSJ") for how AI could interpret and predict the types of interactions that would occur in the metaverse, by working on “self-supervised learning” – where AI is given raw data rather than being trained on lots of labeled data.

[Zuckerberg](https://www.financedigest.com/south-koreas-yoon-metas-zuckerberg-discuss-ai-digital-ecosystems.html) said Meta was also working on egocentric data, which involves [seeing worlds](https://www.financedigest.com/in-u-turn-iea-sees-world-weathering-lost-russian-oil-supply.html "In U-turn, IEA sees world weathering lost Russian oil supply") from a first-person perspective. He said it had brought together a global consortium of 13 universities and labs to [work on the largest ever egocentric dataset](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-based-bitfount-raises-5m-seed-to-streamline-collaboration-between-organisations-working-with-sensitive-datasets.html "UK-based Bitfount raises M seed to streamline collaboration between organisations working with sensitive datasets."), called Ego4D.

Meta also said it would [expand free education initiatives aimed](https://www.financedigest.com/geelys-ev-brand-zeekr-aims-to-double-sales-in-2023-expand-in-europe.html "Geely’s EV brand Zeekr aims to double sales in 2023, expand in Europe") at bringing more racial minorities into tech, which researchers say is critical to create AI systems free of bias. About 80% of data analytics and AI executives identify as men and 65% as white, according to a recent survey [across the United States and Europe](https://www.financedigest.com/air-pollution-surges-as-heatwave-sweeps-across-europe.html "Air pollution surges as heatwave sweeps across Europe") by recruiter Heidrick & Struggles.

In a nod toward transparency, Meta [plans to make open source the recommendations library TorchRec that is uses to personalize](https://www.financedigest.com/best-guide-to-build-a-personal-financial-plan.html "Best Guide to Build a Personal Financial Plan") products like Facebook’s news feed, said Pesenti in another event session. The company also will publish a feed ranking prototype to show how its algorithms prioritize which [content it displays to users](https://www.financedigest.com/gen-z-significantly-prefers-user-generated-content-older-millennials-lean-toward-streaming-inmobi-insights-survey-shows.html "Gen Z Significantly Prefers User-Generated Content, Older Millennials Lean Toward Streaming, InMobi Insights Survey Shows") on Instagram, he said.

Some of the [projects Meta announced](https://www.financedigest.com/britain-announces-205-million-pound-auction-for-renewable-power-projects.html "Britain announces 205 million pound auction for renewable power projects") on Wednesday, such as Project CAIRaoke and the algorithm transparency effort, follow similar innovations announced in recent years by rivals such as Alphabet Inc’s Google.

Meta also recently announced its research team has built a new artificial intelligence supercomputer that it thinks will be the [fastest in the world](https://www.financedigest.com/top-10-fastest-bikes-in-the-world.html "Top 10 fastest bikes in the world") when completed in mid-2022.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford in New York; Additional reporting by Paresh Dave in Oakland, California and Katie Paul in Palo Alto; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Bernard Orr)


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