Meta executives believe wearables such as the company's artificial intelligence glasses will play an increasingly important role in building superintelligence.
AI superintelligence is a hypothetical technology that could perform highly advanced cognitive functions and develop reasoning skills that would pass those of humans.
Derya Matras, Meta's vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, explained that wearables, unlike traditional devices like computers and smartphones, have a built-in advantage to when it comes to building more powerful iterations of AI.
“They see what you see, they hear what you hear and that start to make meaning of the environment that you're in,” Ms Matras told The National from Meta's pavilion at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Ms Matras pointed to Meta's RayBan offerings as well as the company's neural bands used to interact with the glasses.
“That's how we get closer to superintelligence, and we've been working on these glasses for a while.”
She added that Meta hopes to ultimately build AI tools that know your goals, interests and dreams.
“It's all about giving that power to billions of people,” she explained, saying that despite many fears AI won't replace people, but rather “amplifying capabilities”.
Superintelligence is not without controversy, and many experts have varying definitions about what it actually means.
Some debate as to if it is actually achievable, especially with the current backbone of AI make-up of large language models (LLMs).
One sceptic is Meta's former chief scientist and world-renowned AI researcher Yann LeCun, who has described LLMs as a “dead end” for the pursuit of AI superintelligence.
Media reports suggest that Mr LeCun's opinion on the matter may have led to his decision to depart Meta, especially after the company hired Scale AI's former chief executive Alexandr Wang, said to be more of a believer in LLMs and superintelligence.
“Yann has a particular view and he is a brilliant scientist,” Ms Matras said when asked about Mr LeCun's recent statements.
She pivoted back to Meta's current vision and plans.
“We have perhaps the most talented team in the industry and they're heads down focused on building our new models, and we'll see what kind of models are going to be able to bring superintelligence,” she said, adding that Meta is “very excited” with the current path being pursued.
There is a growing call among officials, thought leaders and business executives for guardrails to regulate those pursuing superintelligence, due to concerns about labour disruption and misuse.
For the first decade of Meta's existence, the company's mantra largely revolved around connecting the world through its Facebook platform.
But controversies related to a proliferation of fake news, dangers for children on social media and other concerns eventually started to mount.
Meta has still managed to thrive, particularly with Instagram, which it acquired in 2012, and the launch of Threads in 2023. The company is now positioning itself as a major player in AI.
Meta has invested billions of dollars and hired aggressively in recent years to establish a foothold in the AI boom.
Some technology analysts have had a tepid response to the Meta's AI blitz, pointing to chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's foray into metaverse technology, which focused on virtual technology that the world was not quite ready for.
Despite several years of research and investment, the metaverse vision has not been realised and Meta recently laid off many involved in the pursuit.
The Meta officials in Davos, however, remain optimistic about the technology company's push to be more than just a niche AI player.
Nicola Mendelsohn, Meta's head of global business, said that the investments are already paying off.
“It's fuelling our growth,” she said in Davos. “It's the backbone our recommendation systems and why people are spending more time on our platform.” She explained that the company's own data indicates that three billion people use Meta apps each day.
Ms Mendelsohn also highlighted the company's relatively new Meta AI app.
Perhaps most importantly for Meta, she said, the technology company's advertising tools, a major driver of revenue, are infused with AI, and customers are making the most of it.
“Every advertiser, from the smallest bakery in Klosters to the biggest multinationals are using our AI advertising products, and they're using them to drive performance,” she said.
