Meta anticipates that billions of people will use personal artificial intelligence (AI) agents within the next five years, aiming to establish this technology as a foundation for next-generation products and revenue streams.
On July 29, during a quarterly earnings conference call, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, stated, "Looking five years ahead, it is highly unlikely that billions of people will not have personal agents that understand their goals and work 24/7 to help them achieve those goals."
Zuckerberg explained that personal AI agents could assist users in various areas, including finance, health, relationships, and household management.
He noted, "As we move toward a future where people interact with multiple AI agents, the importance of messaging services like WhatsApp and other Meta platforms will increase. WhatsApp is already a leading platform for users to interact with Meta AI."
Meta views the market for agent-like AI, which goes beyond simply answering user questions to performing tasks on their behalf, as a key driver of future growth. Zuckerberg emphasized that the personal AI agents currently under development at Meta will serve as the basis for next-generation products and revenue sources in the coming months and years.
This quarter, Meta launched enterprise AI agents through WhatsApp and Messenger, which have been adopted by over 1 million businesses worldwide. The company is expected to leverage the technology and user experience gained from its enterprise services to expand into personal AI agents.
However, the substantial costs associated with AI investments are a concern. Meta reported a free cash flow of $784 million this quarter, a 91% decrease from $8.55 billion during the same period last year. Investments in AI data centers and computing infrastructure have impacted cash flow.
Reality Labs, which oversees augmented reality (AR) glasses and virtual reality (VR) headsets, also reported an operating loss of approximately $4.6 billion this quarter, bringing its cumulative losses since 2021 to about $88 billion. Following the earnings announcement, Meta's stock price fell by about 10%.
Meanwhile, Meta is accelerating its AI infrastructure expansion. This week, Meta and BlackRock announced plans to collaborate on building a $14 billion data center in El Paso, Texas.
Zuckerberg stated, "I believe the profit margins will be much higher when selling intelligent services compared to directly selling computing resources, although selling computing resources can also present significant opportunities."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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