Meta AI is Coming in Germany

Meta introduces its AI assistant Meta AI in Germany and 40 other European countries. Integration takes place in WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger – but with significantly fewer functions than in the USA.

European start with restrictions

After almost a year of delay, Meta is now introducing its AI assistant Meta AI in Germany and 40 other European countries. Artificial intelligence is integrated into WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, but is initially only available in Germany with a limited range of functions.

German users can reach Meta AI in the respective apps via a blue circular symbol. In WhatsApp, the assistant can also be activated by entering “@metaai” in chats. The AI service answers questions, supports the finding and can put together thematically suitable content such as reels or contributions.

Data protection delayed European start

The European version of the META AI differs significantly from the US offer: functions such as image generation, image processing or voice control via Ray-Ban smartglasses are completely absent. An alignment to the US functional scope is planned, but there is no specific schedule. The delay of the European start is justified in the strict data protection regulations of the EU.

The Irish data protection authority expressed concerns about training the AI model with European user data, which is why Meta first had to stop this process. According to its own statements, the company worked intensively with various European regulatory authorities in order to develop a compliant solution.

Practical applications in everyday life

Meta Ai understands and answers in six European languages, including German. The assistant supports users primarily in:

Research and information search
Word processing and summaries
Travel planning and organization
Answering questions in group chats

Background for development

Meta AI is based on the in-house LLAMA-2 language model, which the company published in July 2023 as an open source. The assistant competes with other AI services such as Chatgpt from Openaai or Google’s Gemini. In contrast to these competitors, Meta Ai is directly involved in the group’s popular social media apps, which makes use particularly low-threshold.