Meta has spent billions of dollars trying to keep up in artificial intelligence, but the company is facing growing criticism as CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepares to introduce new AI-focused products.
Meta will begin its annual Connect conference from its Menlo Park headquarters on Wednesday at 4:00 pm PT. Zuckerberg is expected to give the main keynote during the developer-focused event.
Earlier this month, Meta launched Muse, its first consumer AI agent designed to handle tasks for users. After connecting personal accounts, including financial, health or shopping accounts, users can ask Muse to do things such as sign up for services, book appointments and make phone calls.
However, Amazon recently blocked Meta’s AI bots from automatically shopping for users. At the same time, companies such as Instacart, Shopify and Expedia have announced partnerships to bring their services to Muse.
Muse runs on Meta’s own AI models and is designed to compete with AI assistants such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.
Meta has also been investing heavily in smart glasses. The company launched its first interactive smart glasses in 2021, before ChatGPT triggered the current global AI boom.
Last year, Meta introduced augmented reality glasses that can display images directly on the lenses. Earlier this year, it also released new AI-powered glasses through its partnership with eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica, which produces Ray-Ban-branded Meta glasses.
But the glasses have also faced privacy concerns. Critics have raised concerns that people could use the cameras to record others without their knowledge.
Meta has responded by saying a recording light will remain visible when the camera is being used. The company also says that attempts to disable or cover the indicator will automatically turn off the camera.
Meta is reportedly working on new audio-only glasses and may also be developing another generation of mixed-reality glasses.
At the same time, the company continues to face legal and regulatory pressure over children’s safety and privacy.
In August, Meta reached a settlement with dozens of US attorneys general over allegations that it violated consumer protection and children’s online privacy laws. Under the settlement, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion in fines and introduce additional restrictions for teenage users.
The company is also dealing with social media restrictions affecting younger users in several countries, while thousands of potential personal injury cases against Meta remain pending in US state courts.
With AI, smart glasses and other new products becoming a bigger part of Meta’s business, the company is trying to expand its technology while dealing with growing concerns over privacy, safety and how its AI products will be used.
