In a newsroom post, Meta provided details about the feature, which was also demonstrated during the Meta Connect event. The voice chat feature will be available across Messenger, Facebook, Instagram DMs, and WhatsApp.
Essentially, this is a speech mode for Meta’s AI, similar to offerings from companies like OpenAI and Google. However, unlike ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode, which uses a more expressive and interactive human-like voice, Meta AI voice chat focuses on reading generated text aloud. According to the demo, the voice isn’t completely robotic but lacks significant modulation. On the plus side, this feature is free for all users. Meta also plans to introduce multiple voice options, Including the voices of five celebrities: Awkwafina, Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Bell, and many others.
A recent report indicated that Meta had secured agreements with these celebrities to use their voices for Meta AI, and more celebrity voices may be added in the future. To use the voice chat mode, users can navigate to the Meta AI interface on supported Meta platforms. A waveform icon next to the text field will lead to a window where users can initiate voice interactions by tapping the Meta AI icon and selecting their preferred voice.