Facebook parent Meta launches AI assistant app, further competing...
On Tuesday, Facebook parent company Meta Platforms introduced a new app for its Meta AI assistant, joining the ranks of similar apps from tech giants like Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Alphabet’s Google. This standalone app aims to increase the usage of Meta's AI assistant beyond just being available on the company's own platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. The move also highlights CEO Mark Zuckerberg's efforts to solidify Meta's position in the competitive AI landscape, pitting the company against major competitors like OpenAI and Google.
The newly launched Meta app is designed to offer more personalized responses tailored to individual users, taking into account specific contexts and elements related to their Facebook and Instagram accounts. Powering this AI assistant is Meta's latest large language model, Llama 4, which is built to rival the most advanced AI models from other tech companies by enhancing reasoning abilities, providing multilingual support, and improving overall efficiency.
Integration with Meta's AI glasses
Meta also announced that the new app will seamlessly integrate with Meta's AI glasses and will eventually merge with the existing companion app. Furthermore, Meta is currently hosting its inaugural AI developer event, LlamaCon, focusing on its Llama family of AI models.
Looking ahead, Meta is scheduled to release its first-quarter earnings report after the close of the markets on Wednesday. In the second quarter, the company plans to begin testing a paid subscription model for advanced versions of its AI chatbot, as reported by Reuters earlier this year. However, sources suggest that this subscription service may not generate significant revenue until at least next year.
Meta AI, launched in September 2023, serves as a virtual assistant leveraging large language models to perform various reasoning tasks.
Click here to read more about the paid subscription for the AI chatbot.
