Meta has announced the expansion of its AI assistant, Meta AI, to the Middle East and North Africa, empowering users in the region with a tool to learn, create and connect to the things and people they care about most. The feature is gradually rolling out across the region, with full accessibility already available in key markets including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Iraq.

Conveniently located across Meta’s family of apps – Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger – Meta AI is easily accessible through its blue circle icon within Meta’s apps and requires no prior registration. It can also be used in group chats by simply typing ‘@Meta AI,’ making it ideal for quick research, brainstorming, and planning with friends. For instance, users planning a spring trip with their families and seeking ideas for island destinations within a maximum six-hour flight from the UAE can simply mention @Meta AI in the group chat, and it will provide a tailored list of suggestions in real time for the group to discuss.

Meta AI is built with state-of-the-art Llama 3.2, Meta’s largest and most capable open-source large language model, and has the capabilities to generate text and create and animate images directly within Meta apps. Users can explore Meta AI’s image-generation Imagine feature by simply typing “Imagine” followed by a detailed description of the image they want to create. For example, typing “Imagine a tiger wearing a vest drinking tea at a café” prompts Meta AI to generate the image in real-time, with the option to animate it. The expansion also introduces support for Arabic, making Meta AI accessible to even more people across the region.

“Meta AI is one of the world’s leading AI assistants already on your phone, in your pocket for free. Combining accessibility with cutting-edge technology, it serves as a gateway to a smarter, more connected life for millions of users in the MENA region. We believe that having a reliable assistant will be one of the defining benefits of this generation of AI. With Meta AI on track to become the most used AI assistant in the world by the end of the year, we’re excited to bring its transformative potential to communities across the region,” says Fares Akkad, Regional Director for Middle East and Africa at Meta.

To celebrate the arrival of Meta AI in the Middle East and North Africa, Meta is launching “Elevating Every Moment”—a content series designed to help users unlock the full potential of Meta AI. Through helpful tips, practical use cases, and deep dives, the series will feature collaborations with regional creators on Instagram. Additionally, Meta will roll out an educational series on its official Meta Arabia page, offering guidance on crafting effective prompts to assist with everyday tasks, whether professional or personal.

“We’re seeing people use Meta AI to dive deep into projects that spark their interest, get help with how-to tasks, and use the assistant for guidance on things like art projects, home decor, outfit inspiration, and more. Image generation has been especially popular and I’m excited to see how people in our region will find new, creative ways to make the most of what AI can offer,” said Akkad.

Meta AI is designed to be intuitive, offering a wealth of opportunities to enhance daily life. Following this gradual rollout, users in the region can look forward to more visionary and advanced multimodal features on the horizon. These include simultaneous dubbing for Reels content, real-life image editing, and the “Imagine Me” feature, which generates personalized portraits that can be edited in real-time. Additionally, Meta AI will soon integrate advanced tools to help users craft captions for their posts, making creativity and connection easier than ever.

Meta AI claims it is on track to become the world’s most-used AI assistant by the end of the year, with nearly 700 million active monthly users and availability in 42 countries and 13 languages.

Smartphone photography has undergone an immense revolution in the past decade, placing in consumers’ hands the kinds of powerful image technologies that were once only possible with full-frame cameras. With a steadfast commitment to providing users around the world with the best-in-class photography experience, HONOR has always been at the forefront of smartphone photography and kept challenging itself to set new industry benchmarks for innovation and quality.

With smartphone usage scenarios continuing to diversify, from portrait photography to telephoto imagery and quick snapshots, more users expect versatile photography capabilities from a single device. Understanding this evolving demand, HONOR has dedicated efforts to fine-tune its smartphones’ hardware and software components to ensure unparalleled image quality.

Recognizing the pivotal role of AI in enhancing photography capabilities on the software front, HONOR has been refining its HONOR Image Engine over the years. Debuting in 2021, the first-generation HONOR Image Engine leveraged HONOR’s AI computing photography algorithm, seamlessly blending images captured by different lenses to yield clearer and sharper results. Subsequently, with the introduction of HONOR Image Engine 2.0, HONOR unveiled the Millisecond Falcon Capture and Ultra-fusion Computational Optics functionalities, employing AI to enhance imaging speed and quality.

Upholding the belief that photography is the artistic interplay of light and shadow, HONOR masters in smartphone photography through understanding and refining the technology with AI. To this end, HONOR introduces the pioneering AI HONOR Image Engine enhanced with large model capabilities, the industry’s first on-device plus cloud large model empowered mobile imaging system. Integrated into the HONOR Magic7 Series, this meticulously reconstructs light and shadow intricacies in each image, offering users a host of advanced photography features.

The AI HONOR Image Engine is bolstered by three specialized large models. The Light and Shadow Portrait Large Model excels in optimizing static scenes; the Telephoto Enhancement Large Model allows users to capture detailed, sharp images with AI-enhanced resolution; the Capture Enhancement Large Model is specifically designed for seizing motion shots, improving the overall photography experience for users.

Catering to diverse shooting needs, these large models work seamlessly together to deliver a comprehensive suite of enhanced features covering various shooting needs, spanning from action shots and portraits to telephoto shots. Through these innovations, the HONOR Magic7 Series revolutionizes image quality with advanced AI innovations, providing users with an immersive and cutting-edge AI photography experience.

Striving to transform smartphone portrait photography, HONOR has seamlessly integrated the Light and Shadow Portrait Large Model and Telephoto Enhancement Large Model into the AI HONOR Image Engine, introducing a range of portrait features including AI-enhanced Portrait, All-scenario Harcourt Portrait, AI Super Zoom, and Stage Mode.

Presenting the brand-new AI-enhanced Portrait feature, users can now capture exquisite portraits with ultra-high definition across a focal length of 1X to 6X. Driven by the Light and Shadow Portrait Large Model, this feature integrates AI Resolution Enhancement to refine image quality, meticulously reducing noise through lens optical calibration, real noise modelling, and extensive AI neural network training. It dynamically adjusts pixel arrangement based on different lighting conditions, preserving original resolution with low ISO in well-lit environments, while seamlessly blending pixels in low-light conditions to form larger units and enhance light intake for superior image clarity.

Crafted to elevate portrait quality amidst challenging lighting conditions, the AI-enhanced Portrait incorporates cutting-edge AI technologies to enhance dynamic range and optimize the interplay of light and shadow. Powered by advanced AI algorithms, the dynamic range is boosted, resulting in more authentic and nuanced colour transitions. Complementing this advancement, the AI light and shadow reconstruction capability introduces a new AI algorithm that reconstructs light and shadow elements through highlight recovery and precise colour corrections, ensuring consistent light intensity for smoother brightness transitions in photographs. These enhancements come together to greatly benefit users capturing portraits in challenging lighting situations, such as sunset or night scenes, delivering natural portraits with balanced highlights and intricate details.

With the Light and Shadow Portrait Large Model, HONOR has unveiled the Stage Mode to capture performance moments for music festivals and concert scenarios. Given the complexity of performance lighting, including challenges like strong light and backlighting, the Light and Shadow Portrait Large Model dynamically optimises brightness levels and light and shadow details for static moment shots. With Stage Mode, users can effortlessly capture memorable performance moments spanning a focal range of 1X to 10X, creating photos with vivid colours, and refined exposure while ensuring that the primary subject of the performance stands out prominently.

Furthermore, featuring an AI-enabled portrait enhancement capability that is trained on millions of high-definition DSLR portrait images, AI-enhanced Portrait can precisely adjust the portrait person’s skin tones and enhance intricate facial features like hair and eyes. Additionally, the AI-enabled bokeh effects leverage AI capabilities to replicate the bokeh effects of real optical systems, enabling users to capture portraits with foreground bokeh effects using AI-enhanced Portrait. This innovation facilitates a seamless transition from foreground bokeh to 3D light spots, ensuring a delicate shift from blurred backgrounds to sharply focused subjects.

In addition, AI HONOR Image Engine also empowers the All-scenario Harcourt Portrait, ensuring studio-like image quality at varying distances. With the AI bokeh effect and AI light and shadow Reconstruction, users can capture breathtaking portraits with natural bokeh effects and facial light and shadow intricacies, rivalling the results of professional cameras. Moreover, the All-scenario Harcourt Portrait now boasts a new 6X focal length, providing enhanced flexibility for smartphone portrait photography. At this extended focal length, Harcourt Portrait excels in capturing captivating portraits that accentuate the subject’s beauty. Thanks to AI-enabled facial refinement, it automatically refines the subject’s natural skin texture while preserving its authentic characteristics.

The HONOR Magic7 Pro boasts the HONOR AI Falcon Camera Systems featuring a pioneering 200MP Telephoto Camera with an advanced 1/1.4” telephoto sensor and a large f/2.6 aperture. To achieve professional telephoto lens standards, HONOR has crafted a proprietary structure for this camera. This innovative design includes a dual-lens group with an aspherical lens that aids in reducing stray light, minimizing dispersion, and enhancing overall optical performance.

By merging cutting-edge hardware with the Telephoto Enhancement Large Model on the cloud, HONOR introduces the groundbreaking AI Super Zoom feature, designed for framing the breath-taking beauty of sceneries including natural landscapes. This feature enables remarkable focal lengths ranging from 30x to 100x along with AI-enhanced resolution, allowing users to capture detailed, sharp images even at significant distances. The Telephoto Enhancement Large Model on the cloud is capable of driving 12.4 billion parameters data to enhance image quality and generate vivid details at high speed. To achieve this, the cloud large model processes data of 1270 billion for each shot.

Tailored for diverse motion scenarios, the AI HONOR Image Engine seamlessly integrates the Capture Enhancement Large Model, enhancing the image quality of moving scenes through AI Motion Sensing Capture and HD Super Burst. With the incorporation of an AI-enabled intent recognition engine boasting advanced recognition and analysis capabilities, the AI Motion Sensing Capture excels in capturing accurate motion shots by identifying and analyzing subject movements. Through capabilities like subject detection and facial evaluation, this engine swiftly recognizes various shooting subjects, from humans to beloved pets like cats and dogs, while discerning subtle facial expressions and body gestures, enabling users to effortlessly capture cherished moments with their companions using AI Motion Sensing Capture.

Acknowledging the increasing popularity of sports photography, HONOR has consistently advanced its hardware and software to improve capture speed and image clarity, empowering users to capture professional sports images. Additionally, the new HD Super Burst feature enables users to capture rapid sequences at 10 frames per second, expanding opportunities for snapshot photography on smartphones. Whether it’s capturing a leisurely jog or thrilling sports events such as a swimming competition, the feature enables the camera to swiftly detect and predict the movement of shooting subjects, empowering users to capture moments with unparalleled clarity and precision on every shot, regardless of the setting or intensity of the action.

HONOR is steadfast in its mission to redefine the standards of AI excellence within smartphone photography, striving to provide users with the utmost intelligent capturing experience. Powered by the potent AI HONOR Image Engine, the HONOR Magic7 Series empowers users to embark on a holistic AI-centric photography journey, catering to the varied and evolving photography needs of users. Pioneering groundbreaking advancements in smartphone photography, HONOR stands out as the first smartphone manufacturer to seamlessly fuse the capabilities of cloud AI and on-device AI within mobile imaging, underscoring its unwavering dedication to establishing new benchmarks within the industry.

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Today at CES 2025, ASUS announced a significant expansion of its Copilot+ PC lineup, delivering AI-enabled computing to a broader audience. The new models are designed to meet the growing demand for affordable, efficient, secure, and fast laptops that enhance both personal and professional workflows. Powered by the latest AI-enabled processors from Qualcomm, AMD, and Intel, these devices come in various styles and form factors, making AI technology more accessible.

ASUS introduced the all-new Zenbook A14 and refreshed versions of the Zenbook Duo and Zenbook 14, all powered by the latest processors, delivering up to 45 TOPS AI performance and extended battery life for multitasking.

Zenbook A14 (UX3407)
The Zenbook A14, the world’s lightest Copilot+ PC at under a kilogram, features Snapdragon X Elite and X processors with advanced on-device AI capabilities. It offers up to 32-hour battery life, a full array of I/O ports, and a tone-on-tone minimalist design using Ceraluminum™, a lightweight, scratch-resistant material.

Zenbook Duo (UX8406CA) and Zenbook 14 (UX3405CA)
The Zenbook Duo boasts twin 14-inch 3K 120Hz OLED HDR touchscreens and the latest Intel Core Ultra processors. The Zenbook 14, with its environmentally conscious design, features Intel Core Ultra 9 processors and Intel Arc graphics, offering a vivid 14-inch 3K 120Hz OLED touchscreen.

Zenbook 14 (UM3406KA)
Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processors, the refreshed Zenbook 14 offers 50 TOPS AI performance, enhancing the Copilot+ PC experience. Its thin-and-light design houses a 14-inch 3K 120Hz OLED NanoEdge display.

AI-Optimised Mini PCs
ASUS has also introduced the NUC 15 Pro and NUC 15 Pro+ mini PCs, featuring Intel Core Ultra processors and Intel AI Boost for high-demand business environments. The NUC 14 Pro AI+ mini PC offers quick AI access with a dedicated Copilot button, built-in microphones, and a sustainable E-ink display.

ExpertCenter PN54
The ExpertCenter PN54 Mini PC delivers high-level AI performance in a compact chassis, powered by AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processors. It offers rapid connectivity, tool-less upgradability, and robust AI acceleration for a variety of computing needs.

These new models highlight ASUS’s commitment to making AI technology universally accessible, offering powerful performance, extended battery life, and premium designs to meet the needs of modern users.