Meta Says Its Newest AI Model Rivals ChatGPT. We Tested it for Trip Planning
Photo Credit: The newest version of Meta AI is accessible through Whatsapp and Meta.ai. Pixabay / Pexels
Skift Take
Meta AI was useful as a starting point for finding things to do in a new destination — an improvement from its first model but nothing new compared to competitors. Beyond that, a traditional search is far superior for trip planning.
Meta AI last week released the newest version of its generative AI model, which it claims outperforms that of OpenAI in nearly every metric.
While those metrics refer to technical measures, Skift is interested in how these models perform for travel.
A Skift test in 2023 of Meta AI’s chatbot — based on the second version of its AI model — showed the tool was lacking, especially compared to competitors. We tested the new version to see how it performs now.
The new model, called Llama 3.1 405B, is accessible in the U.S. via WhatsApp and the website Meta.ai.
Unlike ChatGPT, the Meta AI chatbots are not yet capable of reading images (great for translating menus) or listening to audio (for translating speech). And unlike Gemini — which has a direct connection to Google Flights — Meta AI does not have as reliable of a connection to flight information, based on a Skift test.
