Meta officially launched an Urdu version of Meta AI for users in Pakistan on Monday. The announcement was made at the “Future in Focus: AI and Innovation” event in Islamabad, held in partnership with Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT).
This launch will allow Pakistani users to interact with the AI assistant in their native language across Meta’s platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.
The Urdu support is an extension of Meta’s language capabilities, referred to as “ALIF.” This initiative allows for conversations, search queries, and information retrieval in Urdu, in addition to English.
This launch is part of a broader effort by Meta and the MoITT to accelerate Pakistan’s digital transformation. During the same event, an experimental program for AI education and government digital transformation was also announced.
The AI capabilities are powered by the Meta Llama 3 engine, which delivers faster and more accurate responses.
Pakistani users can access Meta AI directly from search features across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. A dedicated web platform, meta.ai, is also available for more complex tasks.
Benefits for Pakistani users
The integration of Urdu support will make AI technology more accessible and relevant to the local population. Users can now:
Create images, animations, and other creative content using text prompts in Urdu.
Utilize the AI for tasks like writing emails, summarizing chats, and conducting research.
Use the AI to better express themselves and get answers to their queries in their native language.
Have one-on-one conversations with Meta AI, mention it in group chats, and generate images to share.
Meta AI has been expanding its language support and availability to more countries throughout the year. Pakistan was included in an earlier rollout of Meta AI in April 2024, but that version was primarily in English.
The latest announcement specifically adds and highlights the full Urdu language support.
