Meta launches standalone AI app, raising the stakes in the AI assistant race

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has launched a standalone app for its AI assistant—Meta AI—marking a significant move in its ongoing quest to compete with AI leaders like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. Unveiled during the company’s inaugural LlamaCon developer event on Tuesday, the app is designed to offer users a highly personalized and context-aware digital assistant experience outside the company’s existing platforms.

Previously integrated into Meta’s core apps—Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger—the AI assistant is now accessible via its own dedicated interface. The new app aims to distinguish itself from rivals such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini by leveraging Meta’s deep reservoir of user data accumulated over years across its platforms. This gives Meta AI the ability to provide responses tailored to each user’s preferences, habits, and interactions, assuming users opt in to share such information.

At the core of this assistant is Meta’s latest language model, Llama 4, which boasts enhanced reasoning, multilingual fluency, and efficiency. According to Meta, this model is designed to match or exceed the capabilities of competing systems from other tech giants. The assistant can remember personal details voluntarily shared by users, such as dietary restrictions or interests, and apply that context to future conversations—like avoiding suggestions for a wine and cheese event if the user is lactose intolerant.

A novel feature introduced in the app is the “Discover” feed, which lets users share creative interactions with Meta AI, such as emoji-based self-descriptions or AI-generated content. However, these interactions are only published publicly if the user chooses to share them. This optional social layer may help generate engagement and potentially viral content, similar to recent online trends fueled by generative AI.

Meta has also confirmed plans to integrate the app with its AI-powered smart glasses and the existing companion app, further expanding the AI ecosystem across devices. Additionally, the company is preparing to test a paid subscription model for advanced AI capabilities later this year, although meaningful revenue from this initiative isn’t expected before 2026.

While the app’s personalization offers a more immersive experience, it also reignites concerns around privacy and data usage. Meta has emphasized user control, but the company’s heavy reliance on personal data for ad targeting underscores the need for transparency and ethical AI practices.