Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms, has officially released its new standalone AI app called Meta AI. This comes roughly two months after plans for a dedicated AI app from the company were floated, and right on time for the reported Q2 release window.
Meta’s AI assistant isn’t entirely new. If you’re one of the billions who use WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, or Instagram, you might already be familiar. Before now, it only existed inside those apps or via its website.
But that’s all changed with The Zuck’s latest attempt to broaden his AI reach, taking the fight to Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Google, and the rest.
Meta AI enters the chat (for real this time)
The new app is built with the company’s Llama 4 model, its latest large language model (LLM), which is supposed to rival the best models from competitors with its efficiency, multilingual capabilities, and improved reasoning. That all means responses should “feel more personal and relevant, and more conversational in tone.”
What sets the Meta AI app apart from the rest, for now at least, is the addition of a ‘Discover feed’. The company describes this as “a place to share and explore how others are using AI.”
“You can see the best prompts people are sharing, or remix them to make them your own. And as always, you’re in control: nothing is shared to your feed unless you choose to post it.”
As we said in February, Meta probably won’t take too long before it rolls out paid-for tiers. Current estimates are fingering a Q2 timeline, but it will likely be a while before it is able to generate meaning ful revenue.
Also mentioned in February was the possibility that Meta AI would crop up in hitherto untouched areas of the company’s business. Lo and behold, Meta has also said that its AI app would integrate with its Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
“To integrate all our most powerful AI experiences, we’re merging the new Meta AI app with the Meta View companion app for Ray-Ban Meta glasses.” They added, “You’ll be able to start a conversation on your glasses, then access it in your history tab from the app or web to pick up where you left off. And you can chat between the app and the web bidirectionally (you cannot start in the app or on the web and pick up where you left off on your glasses).”
If you’re not already overwhelmed by companies shoving AI down your throat, you can check out Meta AI already (Android/iOS), but don’t be surprised to find some features unavailable to South Africans. You can read up on the launch here.
