Meta AI and AI Studio officially launched in Indonesia

Meta officially launched Meta AI and AI Studio in Indonesia last week, offering artificial intelligence solutions integrated into the company’s popular social platforms. “We first announced the availability of Meta AI in 2023. Now, more and more people can interact with Meta AI across our apps in increasingly diverse ways. With more than 700 million active users worldwide, Meta AI is designed to make everyday activities easier for everyone,” said Revie Sylviana, director of Global Partnerships, Southeast Asia, Meta.

Launch of Meta AI in Indonesia

Meta AI, built using Meta’s Llama 3.2 technology, is now available in Indonesia with support for the Indonesian language. Users can access this AI assistant via WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and the meta.ai website. “The latest version of Meta AI, powered by Llama 3.2, is now available to more people around the world, including Indonesia. This update makes Meta AI smarter, faster, and more convenient to use,” Revie added.

One of Meta AI’s standout features is ‘Imagine’, which enables users to generate images instantly by simply entering a text prompt. In addition to Meta AI, the company also launched AI Studio in Indonesia—a platform that allows anyone to create and discover AI characters. Several local AI characters are already available for interaction, including Om Gustiono, created by @aldogiustino, and FitBite, created by culinary content creator Andre Sarwono.

Impact on marketers and advertisers

This launch coincides with the introduction of a range of AI-powered marketing tools. Meta has developed AI solutions to help brands identify the most suitable Instagram creators. “Creators are highly influential figures. They offer an authentic point of view that audiences value and are skilled in their respective fields. Finding the right creators to tell your brand’s story is the foundation of a successful campaign—and 53% of people surveyed said they are more likely to purchase an item if it is promoted by a creator on Reels,” Meta stated in its official announcement.

Karin Tracy, head of Retail, Fashion and Luxury at Meta, stated: “Because of all these AI advancements, our advertising system can now predict who will be interested in an ad more accurately than advertisers themselves.” Meta also introduced a new keyword search feature on the Instagram creator marketplace. “Previously, brands had to use a variety of filters to find their ideal set of creators. Now, businesses can search using terms such as ‘soccer mums with dogs’, ‘gluten-free desserts’ or ‘gadget unboxing’. They can also filter by 20 verticals including ‘Fashion’, ‘Beauty’, ‘Home and Garden’ and more,” Meta explained.

New features for creator marketing

To help businesses find and evaluate matches with creators, Meta has added several new features to the Instagram creator marketplace. The Creator Card feature with live Reels allows businesses to view examples of relevant content from creators without needing to visit their profiles. For willing creators, businesses can now contact them directly via email, making initial communication easier. Meta has also introduced a special badge for experienced creators, helping businesses identify those who have previously run collaborative ads. Additionally, creator profiles now display active collaboration ads, allowing businesses to better understand a creator’s content style and the types of brands they support on Instagram.

Partnership ads for advertisers

Meta has also expanded Marketing API support for partnership ads. “Partnership ads allow advertisers to run ads with creators, brands and other businesses. Both advertiser and partner accounts are shown in the ad header, and the ads use signals from both accounts to improve rankings and performance,” Meta explained. “Advertisers can now use existing Instagram posts for partnership ads when using placement asset customisation and Advantage+ Creative through the API. Furthermore, partnership ads can now also be used for click-to-message campaigns,” Meta noted.

Opportunities and challenges

Meta’s analysis of over one million campaigns in the US revealed that brands using Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns achieved an average ROAS of $4.52, a 22% increase for first-time users. “We’ve seen that running partnership ads outperforms campaigns with business-as-usual creative in driving incremental purchases—with 96% confidence,” the company said.

However, the shift towards AI-based automation also presents challenges. Danny Weisman, head of Planning at Noble People, stated: “In terms of acquisition cost, AI-enabled media buying is effective. But the shortcoming right now is on the creative side.” He explained that Meta still requires companies to prepare a variety of assets in different sizes, formats, and texts. “This places a significant burden on creative agencies to produce a wide range of assets that can be mixed and matched by the algorithm,” he said.

Meta’s move to automate much of the ad creation process has faced criticism amid ongoing discussions about relinquishing control over ad placements and creative content. In its Q2 2024 financial report, CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined a vision where AI supports every aspect of advertising, including creative development. Zuckerberg stated: “In the long run, advertisers will simply be able to tell us their business goals and budgets, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

Industry outlook

Derya Matras, Meta’s vice president for the UK, Northern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said AI will lead to a greater need for agencies. “There will be more demand for agencies. And because I also hear some anxiety in the industry about whether AI will take our jobs—I believe that marketing is increasingly becoming a science. Now, even creativity is becoming a science,” he said, responding to comments by Martin Sorrell about AI reducing the need for agencies.

Matras added that human and creative skills will become increasingly important as time-consuming, repetitive tasks are replaced by technology. “It’s those tedious tasks that prevent us from prioritising brainstorming, strategic conversations, ideation, and so on,” he said. “So, those skills will become more valuable as we gain more time to differentiate ourselves through them.”

Nicola Mendelsohn, head of Global Business at Meta, stated that the company has no intention of cutting out agencies. Instead, she noted that AI capabilities could empower smaller brands—those without the budget for large agencies—to make better use of Meta’s platforms.

Meta’s move to launch AI in Indonesia is part of the company’s broader global strategy to boost user engagement and ad effectiveness. “Almost all of our advertisers are using at least one of our AI-powered tools, and adoption of Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns continues to grow—revenue rose 70% year-on-year in Q4,” Mendelsohn stated.

With the launch of Meta AI and AI Studio, the company further strengthens its position in the Indonesian market while offering tools to help local marketers and advertisers optimise their digital strategies in the age of artificial intelligence.