Meta’s second-quarter earnings report brought significant news: the tech giant’s shares have surged by nearly 50%, and revenue has grown by 22% this quarter. Central to these impressive figures is the robust performance in India, which has emerged as the largest market globally for Meta AI usage. During the earnings call, Meta CFO Susan Li highlighted this development, revealing that 500 million users in India are now using Meta AI on WhatsApp. Meta AI, the company’s generative AI chatbot assistant, was first introduced at the Meta Connect event in 2023. It began rolling out in India in June 2024 across platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. This rollout has significantly boosted user engagement and retention, particularly on WhatsApp, as noted by Li.
India’s leadership in Meta AI usage underscores the country’s pivotal role in the company’s growth strategy. “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,” said Li. This trend reflects the broader adoption of AI technologies across India, driven by the country’s vast and tech-savvy population.
Meta AI’s capabilities are designed to simplify everyday tasks for users, functioning as a general-purpose assistant. The AI can write emails, summarize texts, translate languages, generate text and images, and even create animations. It is integrated into personal and group chats on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, allowing users to seek advice or ask questions seamlessly. Moreover, Meta AI is embedded in the search bars of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, providing users with real-time information and assistance while they browse these platforms. In other markets such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, Meta AI has been available since April 2024. The same month, Meta AI was upgraded with the new Llama 3 model, enhancing its performance and capabilities. In July, Meta further expanded its AI chatbot’s language support, adding seven new languages including Hindi and Hinglish. This expansion means that Meta AI users can now interact with the assistant in Hindi, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, with plans to include more languages in the future.
Meta’s continuous innovation in AI technology is exemplified by the recent announcement of the Llama 3.1 model. According to Meta, this latest version of their open-source large language model (LLM) has already surpassed the performance of the most recent model of ChatGPT, marking a significant advancement in AI development. The rapid adoption of Meta AI in India not only highlights the country’s growing influence in the global tech landscape but also showcases the potential for AI-driven solutions to transform daily digital interactions. As Meta continues to enhance its AI capabilities and expand its reach, India’s role as a key market will likely remain central to the company’s ongoing success.