Today, Meta announced the expansion of its AI assistant, Meta AI, to the Middle East and North Africa, empowering users in the region with a tool to learn, create and connect to the things and people they care about most. The feature is gradually rolling out across the region, with full accessibility already available in key markets including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Iraq.
Conveniently located across Meta’s family of apps—Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger—Meta AI is easily accessible through its blue circle icon within Meta’s apps and requires no prior registration. It can also be used in group chats by simply typing ‘@Meta AI,’ making it ideal for quick research, brainstorming, and planning with friends. For instance, users planning a spring trip with their families and seeking ideas for island destinations within a maximum six-hour flight from the UAE can simply mention @Meta AI in the group chat, and it will provide a tailored list of suggestions in real time for the group to discuss.
Meta AI is built with state-of-the-art Llama 3.2, Meta’s largest and most capable open-source large language model, and has the capabilities to generate text, create and animate images directly within Meta apps. Users can explore Meta AI’s image-generation Imagine feature by simply typing “Imagine” followed by a detailed description of the image they want to create. For example, typing “Imagine a tiger wearing a vest drinking tea at a café” prompts Meta AI to generate the image in real time, with the option to animate it.
The expansion also introduces support for Arabic, making Meta AI accessible to even more people across the region.
“Meta AI is one of the world’s leading AI assistants already on your phone, in your pocket for free. Combining accessibility with cutting-edge technology, it serves as a gateway to a smarter, more connected life for millions of users in the MENA region. We believe that having a reliable assistant will be one of the defining benefits of this generation of AI. With Meta AI on track to become the most used AI assistant in the world by the end of the year, we’re excited to bring its transformative potential to communities across the region,” says Fares Akkad, Regional Director for Middle East and Africa at Meta.
To celebrate the arrival of Meta AI in the Middle East and North Africa, Meta is launching “Elevating Every Moment”—a content series designed to help users unlock the full potential of Meta AI. Through helpful tips, practical use cases, and deep dives, the series will feature collaborations with regional creators on Instagram, including Yara Boumonsef, Amro Maskoun, Raghad Zamel and Abdullah Al Sabe, among others. Additionally, Meta will roll out an educational series on its official Meta Arabia page, offering guidance on crafting effective prompts to assist with everyday tasks, whether professional or personal.
“We’re seeing people use Meta AI to dive deep on projects that spark their interest, get help with how-to tasks, and use the assistant for guidance on things like art projects, home decor, outfit inspiration, and more. Image generation has been especially popular, and I’m excited to see how people in our region will find new, creative ways to make the most of what AI can offer,” said Fares Akkad, Regional Director for Middle East and Africa at Meta.
Meta AI is designed to be intuitive, offering a wealth of opportunities to enhance daily life. Following this gradual rollout, users in the region can look forward to more visionary and advanced multimodal features on the horizon. These include simultaneous dubbing for Reels content, real-life image editing, and the “Imagine Me” feature, which generates personalised portraits that can be edited in real time. Additionally, Meta AI will soon integrate advanced tools to help users craft captions for their posts, making creativity and connection easier than ever.
Meta AI is already on track to become the world’s most used AI assistant by the end of the year, with nearly 700 million active monthly users and availability in 42 countries and 13 languages.
