Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, is reportedly planning to launch a standalone Meta AI app in the second quarter of this year, according to a CNBC report. Currently, Meta AI is integrated within the company’s suite of apps, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. The move signals a major step in Zuckerberg’s ambition to make Meta a leader in artificial intelligence by the end of 2024.
The decision comes at a time when Elon Musk’s xAI has already launched its own standalone iOS app, with an Android version expected soon. The competition in the AI space is heating up, with several players rolling out new features and models to gain an edge.
Meta AI’s Expansion and Monetization Plans
Meta AI has been one of the few AI assistants that remain free to access, offering advanced features such as text-to-image generation and voice mode. However, the company is now considering introducing a paid subscription model, similar to OpenAI and xAI, to provide users with access to a more powerful version of its chatbot.
“This is going to be the year when a highly intelligent and personalized AI assistant reaches more than 1 billion people, and I expect Meta AI to be that leading AI assistant,” Zuckerberg had stated during an earnings call in January.
The move also reflects Meta’s broader efforts to explore revenue-generating opportunities beyond its core social media platforms, especially as Chinese open-source competitor DeepSeek AI** gains traction in the AI space.
The AI sector is witnessing rapid advancements and new launches from major tech players. Since DeepSeek AI’s cost-effective models gained popularity in January, other AI giants have been racing to introduce new offerings such as OpenAI recently launched its GPT-4o Mini reasoning model and Deep Research AI agent, Musk’s xAI introduced a new pre-trained Grok 3 model and a Deep Search tool. Meanwhile, Anthropic unveiled its latest Claude 3.7 Sonnet model.
As the AI market evolves, Meta’s standalone AI app will position the company more aggressively in the highly competitive AI assistant space. The planned subscription service could also help Meta generate revenue, competing directly with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus and xAI’s Grok subscriptions.