Meta's metaverse is getting an AI makeover

Meta's Connect keynote felt different this year, and not just because it marked the return of an in-person event. It's been nearly two years since Mark Zuckerberg used Connect to announce that Facebook was changing its name to Meta and reorienting the entire company around the metaverse. But at this year's event, it felt almost as if Zuckerberg was trying to avoid saying the word "metaverse." While he did utter the word a couple of times, he spent much more time talking up Meta's new AI features, many of which will be available on Instagram and Facebook and other non-metaverse apps. Horizon Worlds, the company's signature metaverse experience that was highlighted at last year's Connect, was barely mentioned. That may not be particularly surprising if you've been following the company's metaverse journey lately.