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Meta Is Building a Digital Voice Assistant for Metaverse Push

  • Zuckerberg says new AI assistant will learn how humans learn
  • Assistant will let people navigate the metaverse hands-free
Visitors take photographs in front of signage at Meta Platforms headquarters in Menlo Park, California.

Visitors take photographs in front of signage at Meta Platforms headquarters in Menlo Park, California.

Photographer: Nick Otto/Bloomberg
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Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is building a digital voice assistant to help people interact hands-free with physical devices, such as the company’s Portal video-calling device and, eventually, augmented-reality glasses.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said the company is building the assistant in preparation for the so-called metaverse, a more immersive version of the internet that will let people interact online through virtual and AR glasses. Digital assistants will need to “learn the way humans do” to help users navigate this new online world, Zuckerberg said during a presentation on Wednesday.