Meta plans paid subscription service for chatbot Meta AI — Reuters
Mexico City (Feb 27): Meta Platforms is set to introduce a paid subscription service for its artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled chatbot Meta AI, following in the footsteps of OpenAI and Microsoft, as per a source familiar with the matter as reported by Reuters on Thursday.
The testing phase for this subscription service is expected to commence in the second quarter of this year. However, substantial revenue from this service is not anticipated until at least next year.
Launch of Meta AI
Meta AI was unveiled in September 2023 as a virtual assistant employing advanced large language models for various reasoning tasks.
Meta declined to provide any comments when approached by Reuters for confirmation.
Competition in the AI Space
Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is strategically positioning the company to compete fiercely with counterparts like Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google in the AI sector.
Earlier in January, Zuckerberg revealed plans for Meta to allocate up to US$65 billion (RM290.17 billion) this year towards the expansion of its AI infrastructure.
Development of AI-powered Robots
Simultaneously, Meta is in the process of establishing a new division within its Reality Labs segment dedicated to crafting AI-driven humanoid robots capable of assisting with physical tasks, as reported by Reuters earlier this month.
Reports from CNBC on Thursday indicated Meta's intentions to roll out a standalone Meta AI application during the second quarter, complementing its existing platforms, Facebook and Instagram.
Industry Investments in AI
Several major tech conglomerates have been injecting significant investments—amounting to tens of billions of dollars—into the development of robust AI infrastructure following the breakthrough success of ChatGPT.
