Meta reportedly planning standalone chat AI app to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT

Meta, the developer and operator of social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram, is reportedly soon to release a standalone chat AI app.

Meta plans to release a standalone Meta AI app
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/27/meta-plans-to-release-a-standalone-meta-ai-app.html

Meta is reportedly planning a standalone AI chatbot app | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/27/meta-is-reportedly-planning-a-standalone-ai-chatbot-app/

Meta's AI chatbot will soon have a standalone app | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/news/621252/meta-ai-chatbot-standalone-app

According to information obtained by CNBC from a person familiar with the matter, Meta plans to release a standalone Meta AI app in the second quarter of 2025 (April to June). Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg aims to become a leader in the AI industry by the end of 2025, ahead of competitors such as OpenAI, and the release of the Meta AI app will be a big step in that plan, CNBC reported.

Meta announces Llama 2-based chatbot AI 'Meta AI', which can be accessed from smartphones, Quest 3, and smart sunglasses and can also generate images - GIGAZINE

Meta's chat AI, Meta AI, was released in September 2023. Meta has implemented Meta AI within existing apps, allowing users to generate images and communicate based on prompts. Meta has since introduced Meta AI to the search functions of its own apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatApp, and Messenger.

Regarding Meta AI, CNBC pointed out that 'Meta AI is Zuckerberg's primary means of introducing Meta's generative AI technology to billions of users.'

During Meta's quarterly earnings call in January 2025, CEO Zuckerberg said, '2025 will be the year that highly intelligent, personalized AI assistants reach more than a billion people. We expect Meta AI to be the primary AI assistant.'

Unlike competing generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, Meta AI is only available to users through its website and apps like Facebook and WhatsApp. While Meta AI's vast user base across Meta's family of apps has access to it, making it available as a standalone app 'may allow users to interact more deeply with the digital assistant,' the source said.

Meta's chatbot 'Meta AI' can now use Facebook and Instagram data to personalize responses - GIGAZINE

As of December 2024, Meta AI is estimated to have approximately 700 million monthly active users, but because Meta AI does not have a standalone app, it is very difficult to directly compare usage with competing products such as ChatGPT.

In addition, research firm Business of Apps points out that the monthly views of the web version of Meta AI are less than 10 million, which is 'much lower' than major chat AIs. The monthly views of the web version are even lower than those of mid-sized AI companies such as Anthropic. To break out of this situation, planning a standalone app for Meta AI seems like a very logical move.

It has also been pointed out that in January 2025, when a Threads user said, ' I think Meta AI needs its own standalone app ,' Zuckerberg agreed by posting a '100 points' emoji.

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