Meta showcased its continuing investment in AI this week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity via its focus on new generative AI capabilities for advertising and consumer experiences. 

With updated Advantage+ features, advertisers can ensure brand consistency and customize ad creative by tapping into existing brand assets from website content or from previous ads on integrated platforms such as Shopify to incorporate logos, colours, fonts and other personalization tools.

Meta also announced the test of its next phase of video generation and image animation. This feature uses generative AI models to create dynamic video ads by transforming multiple images into multi-scene video complete with text overlays and music. 

Another test is underway for Video Highlights, a feature that allows consumers to skip a video ad to see the highlights of the video, generated from extract words or phrases, along with thumbnails of key scenes in the ad.

Business tools are also getting updates. Meta is continuing to test business AIs on Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as Instagram and Facebook feed ads, where buyers can start a conversation with an agent directly from the ad, and ask questions about things like products or return policies and get product recommendations without having to leave the app. 

Meta is also exploring the addition of voice capabilities to the AI agent. The test includes a select group of businesses on Facebook whose customers, when viewing a feed, are able to use a tap-to-talk button to speak directly to the business AI in the in-app browser.