Meta AI Launches in Middle East & Africa with Arabic Support

Meta AI Expands to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Meta has officially broadened the accessibility of Meta AI to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This expansion grants millions of additional users access to the AI-powered chatbot.

Initial Rollout and Expansion Plans

The initial announcement regarding Meta AI’s launch in six new markets, including Brazil and the United Kingdom, was made in October. Concurrent with this announcement, the company indicated a phased rollout strategy for further markets globally, with MENA being a key target.

Countries and Language Support

Meta AI is now operational in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen. Alongside this geographical expansion, Arabic language support has been integrated.

Accessing Meta AI

Users can activate the virtual assistant by mentioning @meta within chats on platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. However, feature availability may differ depending on the specific region.

The AI can assist with tasks like suggesting local attractions or curating music playlists for journeys. Meta intends to introduce multimodal AI capabilities within the MENA region.

New Features Coming to MENA

These capabilities will include tools like “Imagine Me,” which generates stylized selfies, and audio dubbing functionality for Instagram Reels.

Global Reach and User Base

Meta reports that Meta AI is currently available in 42 countries, supporting 13 languages. The platform boasts a user base of approximately 700 million individuals across its various applications, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook.

Regional Feature Variations

It’s important to note that the specific features offered by Meta AI can vary by market. For example, in certain European countries, its functionality on Ray-Ban Meta AR glasses is restricted to general inquiries only, due to prevailing data privacy regulations.

This limitation is a direct response to the need to comply with local data protection laws.