New Meta AI app joins the chatbot war, and it’s personal.
Meta has officially launched its standalone AI chatbot app, powered by its in-house Llama 4 model. The app puts Meta directly into the ring with ChatGPT, as well as rivals like Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and xAI’s Grok.
This is Meta’s most aggressive AI move yet and it’s designed to be your always-on, personalized assistant.
Meta is no longer just embedding AI into Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Now it wants its AI to be front and center, as your default companion, built for constant, natural conversation.
Key features
- Conversational engine: Uses full-duplex speech for more natural, real-time voice conversations.
- Discover feed: Shows how others are using Meta AI, with the option to remix shared prompts.
- Personalized memory: Meta AI can remember facts about you (with your consent), such as your travel preferences or hobbies, and tailor responses using data from your Meta profile and app behaviour.
- Web platform upgrade: Meta has improved the Meta AI web experience, with new tools for generating and editing text and images, plus PDF export and document analysis in testing.
“2025 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.” – Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg
Meta AI has been integrated into its core apps since 2023, replacing the search functions across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. As of January, it had 700 million monthly users, up 100 million in a month.
But this new app is Meta’s first serious move to compete directly on neutral ground, outside the Meta ecosystem, just like ChatGPT or Gemini.
Risks
The launch comes amid growing concerns over the mental health impact of personalized AI, especially among teens. Meta’s AI has already faced criticism for inappropriate conversations and hyper-personal engagement.
Still, Meta’s pushing forward, aiming to redefine digital companionship.
Availability
- iOS and Android now live
- Voice chat available in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
- Personalized features rolling out first to users in the US and Canada
Meta is placing a massive bet that the next big thing in AI isn’t just smarter, it’s more personal. And it wants to be the company that builds the AI assistant you’ll trust with your daily life.
