Meta has launched a new stand-alone artificial intelligence app to compete directly with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The app, built on Meta’s Llama AI model, features a “Discover” feed that showcases how users interact with the tool and offers prompts to enhance the user experience. Meta’s AI assistant will go head-to-head with established competitors such as Anthropic’s Claude, xAI’s Grok, and Google’s Gemini.
This launch follows Meta’s integration of AI into its existing apps like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
Started as a ring. Now Meta AI is its own thing!
Experience the new standalone app designed to be personalized and social. pic.twitter.com/xxI56v5Ytk
— Meta (@Meta) April 29, 2025
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, expressed his optimism about the potential of AI, predicting that 2025 will be a significant year for the proliferation of knowledgeable and personalized AI assistants. “I expect Meta AI to be the leading assistant that reaches over a billion people,” Zuckerberg said.
Word of the week: Meta AI App (proper noun). Our newest app that brings together the personalization and voice experiences of Meta AI. pic.twitter.com/FMrd1iICe0
— Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) April 29, 2025
As of January, Meta AI had approximately 700 million monthly active users, up from 600 million in December, according to Meta’s Chief Financial Officer, Susan Li. This growth is part of the company’s broader strategy, which includes substantial investments in AI infrastructure, with plans to spend up to $65 billion in 2025. Meta announced its new app during its inaugural LlamaCon developer event, held at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California.
Investors and industry analysts are keen to see how Meta’s substantial AI investments will impact its business outcomes as the company prepares to report its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday.
@Meta enters the #AI Token Business, supporting @Groq and @cerebras in addition to @Nvidia GPUs. Need to see pricing to see what this means! https://t.co/yKlcJ5MjDZ
— Karl Freund (@karlfreund) April 29, 2025
Meta’s new AI assistant unveiled
The Meta AI app uses Llama 4 to help users solve problems, answer daily questions, and understand the world around them.
With web search capabilities, it can provide recommendations, deep dive into topics, and help users stay connected with friends and family. Drawing on decades of personalizing experiences on its platforms, Meta AI offers personalized responses based on information users share on Meta products. If users have linked their Facebook and Instagram accounts, Meta AI can provide even more tailored experiences.
Meta AI is integrated across all of Meta’s products and devices, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Ray-Ban Meta glasses. The Meta AI app also merges with the Meta View companion app for Ray-Ban Meta glasses, allowing seamless interaction between the app and the glasses. During LlamaCon, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized that he sees any AI lab that makes its models openly available as allies in opposing closed model providers.
He stressed the value of open source, noting that developers can mix and match the best parts of different models to meet their needs effectively. Meta seems focused on bolstering the open model ecosystem, even if it sometimes means not delivering the most cutting-edge models itself. This stance could provide strategic advantages, particularly in aligning with regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act, which grants special privileges to companies distributing “free and open source” AI systems.
Image Credits: Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
