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Instagram AI Studio: Create Custom Chatbots With Your Personality
Meta’s new feature allows users to create custom chatbots with unique personalities that can interact with fans and help in role-play scenarios.
Meta has unveiled a new tool called AI Studio, enabling users to create virtual characters with personalized traits and interests, including versions of themselves that can interact with audiences through direct messages.
AI Studio is initially rolling out to Instagram Business account holders and will be available to all Meta users in the United States within the next few weeks. The platform will be accessible via ai.meta.com/ai-studio and the Instagram app, as well as through WhatsApp, Messenger, and browsers.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, envisions users creating custom AI chatbots for entertainment purposes or as personal support tools. For instance, chatbots could be used for role-play scenarios like negotiating a pay rise or resolving a conflict with a friend. These kinds of interactions provide a safe space for users to practice and receive feedback on various social situations.
To ensure responsible use, AI Studio includes features that allow users to restrict who can interact with their chatbots and control the topics they discuss. The platform’s usage policy also explicitly prohibits the creation of chatbots deemed hateful, explicit, or illegal.
In a blog post, Meta highlighted several chatbots developed by celebrities using AI Studio. For example, chef Marc Murphy created a chatbot named “Eat Like You Live There!” to offer dining recommendations, while photographer Angel Barclay designed “What Lens Bro,” a bot providing photography tips.
Also Read: Top Free AI Chatbots Available In The Middle East
Meta’s AI Studio handbook provides guidance on customizing chatbots, allowing users to input a detailed description, choose a name, and upload an image. They can also specify how bots should respond to particular prompts. The system, leveraging Meta’s powerful Llama model, improvises responses based on these instructions.
In addition to AI Studio, Meta also introduced another innovative tool, known as Segment Anything Model (SAM) 2. The technology can identify and track the contents of images and videos, which Zuckerberg demonstrated by showcasing its ability to monitor cattle on his vast ranch in Kauai. The Facebook founder also noted that SAM2 has broader applications, such as studying coral reefs, natural habitats, and landscape changes.
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Checkout.com Set To Launch Card Issuing In The UAE
The payment service provider’s expansion is a first-of-its-kind investment and could reshape digital transactions across the region.
Checkout.com is laying the groundwork to become the first global payments platform to introduce card issuing in the United Arab Emirates — a move that could reshape how businesses in the region manage financial transactions.
The company plans to roll out its domestic card issuance offering in the UAE by 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The launch would give businesses the tools to issue both physical and virtual branded cards. This, in turn, opens up new ways to reward customers, streamline expense processes, and handle B2B payouts efficiently.
Checkout.com’s CEO and Founder, Guillaume Pousaz, revealed the plans during Thrive Abu Dhabi, the firm’s debut conference in the Emirates. Joined on stage by Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA, Pousaz presented to an audience of over 150 partners and merchants at Saadiyat Island. Also in attendance was H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications.
Abbondandolo highlighted the strategic importance of the announcement: “As a global business, we focus on bringing products to markets that our customers want and need. Today’s announcement is proof of our commitment to the MENA region and its rising influence in the digital economy. The appetite for innovation here is real, and we’re proud to be building the infrastructure that powers it”.
One early adopter of Checkout.com’s UAE acquiring services is Headout, a travel experiences marketplace, which recently named the payment provider as its main partner in Europe. The company has already begun card issuing there and is keen to expand that offering into MENA once approval is granted.
The expansion of services in the UAE and beyond builds on Checkout.com’s track record in the region. It was the first global payments firm to secure a Retail Payment Services license from the UAE’s Central Bank and was instrumental in rolling out Mada and Apple Pay in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Also Read: Protecting Your WhatsApp Account From Hackers: Kaspersky Expert Tips
The firm has also been rolling out new products: One of the latest is Flow Remember Me, currently in beta testing. It allows shoppers to store their card information once and access it across Checkout.com’s entire network, potentially cutting checkout times by up to 70%.
Earlier this year, Checkout.com also introduced Visa Direct’s Push-to-Card solution in the UAE, enabling both domestic and international payouts. Its collaboration with Mastercard has grown as well, making it easier for businesses to send funds directly to third-party cards securely and quickly.
With regional tech ambitions on the rise — spurred by initiatives like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE’s 2031 Agenda — Checkout.com sees its role as one of a key enabler. “Our mission is to help ambitious businesses navigate the complexity of payments, so they can move faster, go further, and make the most of every opportunity,” said Abbondandolo. “In MENA, performance is personal. It’s local. It’s built on trust. And when payments perform, businesses thrive”.
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