Meta Platforms Inc. plans to launch a standalone Meta AI app by the second quarter of 2024, aiming to position itself as a leader in artificial intelligence. CEO Mark Zuckerberg envisions this AI assistant reaching over 1 billion users. Currently, Meta AI functions within Facebook and WhatsApp, but a standalone app could enhance user interaction and personalization. The company may introduce a subscription model similar to competitors. Meta AI has around 700 million monthly users, with WhatsApp being the most engaged platform. Meta’s move follows similar initiatives from Google and xAI, indicating a competitive landscape in AI development.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., arrives at the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, on September 25, 2024.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Meta AI is set to become a standalone application for the social media firm, alongside Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, as reported by CNBC.
According to sources familiar with the initiative, the company plans to launch a Meta AI standalone app in the second quarter. This move is a pivotal part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy to position Meta as a frontrunner in artificial intelligence by year-end, surpassing rivals like OpenAI and Alphabet, as those revealing the details wished to remain anonymous due to the private nature of the project.
Meta introduced its AI chatbot in September 2023, branding it as a generative AI-powered digital assistant capable of generating responses and images based on user inputs through its existing apps. In April, the company enhanced user interactions by replacing the search function on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger with the chatbot.
Since then, Meta AI has emerged as a key platform for Zuckerberg to demonstrate the company’s generative AI capabilities to millions.
“This will be the year when a sophisticated and personalized AI assistant reaches over 1 billion people, and I anticipate Meta AI will lead that initiative,” Zuckerberg said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call in January.
In contrast to other generative AI applications like ChatGPT and Perplexity, Meta AI is currently accessible only through a website and Meta’s apps such as Facebook and WhatsApp. Although Meta’s extensive user network can access Meta AI, availability as a standalone app could allow users more comprehensive interactions with the digital assistant, according to insider sources.
Earlier in January, Zuckerberg publicly concurred with a Threads user’s suggestion that a dedicated mobile app for its digital assistant would be beneficial.
The Threads user remarked that a separate Meta AI app could enhance the app’s integration across smartphones and various hardware platforms, such as Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, assist in organizing conversational histories with the digital assistant, and facilitate deeper personalization and customization.
Zuckerberg responded to the Threads user’s proposal with a red “100” emoji, commonly used in digital discourse to express strong agreement.
Furthermore, Meta is planning to introduce a subscription service for Meta AI, akin to how OpenAI and Microsoft charge users a subscription for enhanced versions of their ChatGPT and Copilot chatbots, the sources indicated.
Meta’s finance chief Susan Li mentioned in January that while the focus of Meta AI is on creating an exceptional user experience, there are definite monetization prospects over time, including paid recommendations and premium offerings.
The company chose not to provide comments on this matter.
Shortly after this story was released, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman subtly remarked via an X post, “ok fine maybe we’ll do a social app.”
Meta’s ambition to lead in AI
Li shared with analysts in January that Meta AI has about 700 million active monthly users, an increase from 600 million in December.
However, analysts have found it challenging to compare the utilization of Meta AI directly with ChatGPT and other competitors since it is not offered as a standalone app.
David Curry, data editor at Business of Apps, reported to CNBC in December that the standalone Meta AI website attracts fewer than 10 million views monthly, which is significantly less than leading services like ChatGPT, Gemini, and even lower than some mid-tier contenders such as Anthropic.
Li noted that India is the “largest market for Meta AI usage,” echoing positive trends in retention and engagement on WhatsApp. In January, she stated that WhatsApp leads in Meta AI usage, trailed by Facebook, which shows robust engagement through the feed deep-dives integrating the ability to ask Meta AI questions regarding the recommended content.
Meta’s initiative to launch a standalone Meta AI app aligns with similar moves by Google and Elon Musk’s xAI, both of which have recently introduced individual apps for their digital assistants, Gemini and Grok.
In November, Google announced that users could download a specific iOS app for its Gemini assistant, following its launch as an Android app in February 2024. Last week, the company ceased allowing iOS users to access Gemini via the Google mobile app, directing them to, “To continue using Gemini, download the new Gemini app from the App Store.”
xAI introduced an official Grok iOS app and a dedicated website in January, thereby extending the digital assistant’s reach beyond Musk’s social media platform, X. Currently, individuals wishing to access Grok through an Android app need to join a waitlist.
As of January, ChatGPT remains the leading AI-driven digital application based on app downloads, as reported by Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2025 report. The top generative AI chatbot applications include ChatGPT, followed by Google Gemini, ByteDance’s Doubao, and Microsoft’s Copilot, according to the report.
Zuckerberg has been increasingly urging Meta’s generative AI teams to advance its products, including Meta AI, pushing for it to be the most widely-used chat application globally by year’s end, sources indicate.
Numerous employees involved in these projects have noted the pressure to work seven days a week to maintain pace in the AI competition.
“Meta is focused on developing some of the world’s most significant technologies. AI, smart glasses as the next computing platform, and the future of social media,” Zuckerberg communicated to employees in a January memo that informed them about upcoming layoffs. “This is going to be a demanding year, and I want to ensure we have the best talent on our teams.”
— CNBC’s Salvador Rodriguez contributed to this report.