Meta AI Launches in the Middle East and Africa with Arabic Integration
Meta has officially expanded its AI-powered chatbot, Meta AI, to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), making it accessible to millions of new users across the region.
In October, Meta announced its plans to introduce Meta AI in six additional markets, including Brazil and the U.K., while also hinting at a broader global rollout. Now, the company has followed through on that promise by bringing Meta AI to MENA.
The chatbot is now available in several countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen. Alongside this expansion, Meta has introduced Arabic language support, making its AI assistant more accessible to Arabic-speaking users.
Users can interact with Meta AI by tagging @meta in chats on platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The AI assistant can help with recommendations, such as suggesting places to visit or curating music for a road trip. Meta also plans to enhance the AI’s capabilities in the MENA region by introducing multimodal features, such as “Imagine Me” for generating stylized selfies and audio dubbing for Instagram Reels.
Meta AI’s Global Reach and Future Plans
With Meta AI now available in 42 countries and supporting 13 languages, it is on track to becoming one of the most widely used AI assistants in the world. Currently, over 700 million users engage with Meta AI across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook.
However, due to privacy laws, the availability of certain features differs by region. In some European countries, for instance, Meta AI’s capabilities on Ray-Ban Meta AR glasses are limited to general queries because of strict data protection regulations.
Moving forward, Meta is expected to continue refining and expanding its AI offerings, focusing on localized experiences that cater to different cultural and linguistic needs. The company is also prioritizing user safety, integrating safeguards to prevent misinformation and inappropriate content generation.
With this latest expansion, Meta AI is now available in 42 countries, supporting 13 languages, and serving approximately 700 million users across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook. However, the availability of specific features varies by region. For example, in certain European countries, Meta AI’s functionality is restricted to answering general queries on Ray-Ban Meta AR glasses due to data privacy regulations.
