Facebook's F8 developer conference got its name because there are eight letters in "Facebook." But read it another way, and it's "fate," something Facebook has had a hard time with these days.
Beset by scandal, Facebook has an opportunity for a reset at its developer conference this week. At the very least, it's a chance for the company's executives to chart a way out of this mess.
On Tuesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced new messaging services, plans to ship the new $399 Oculus Quest and $399 Oculus Rift S headsets next month, and a new privacy-focused mantra for his company.
On Wednesday, one of his top lieutenants, CTO Mike Schroepfer, spoke about the company's artificial intelligence advancements. Last year, that meant using AI to take on harassment, while also teaching it to more easily recognize photographs. This year, it meant showing off how the Facebook Portal camera tracks people in a room, and how AI identifies explicit images and hate speech.
Here's all the Wednesday news from F8. You can read about everything announced on Day 1, here.
- Marijuana or broccoli? Facebook illustrates AI's challenges with this example
- Facebook says its new AI tech spots hate speech faster
- Facebook wants AI researchers to figure out privacy
Originally published April 29, 5 a.m. PT.
Update, April 30, 12:20 p.m.: Adds details from Day 1's announcements; May 1, 5 a.m.: Adds details about Facebook's livestream site; 1:59 p.m. PT: Adds details about what was announced during the show.