Meta Platforms Inc. has launched a new artificial intelligence app called Meta AI, a major move challenging OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other leading chatbot services. The standalone app went live on Tuesday and is now available on both iOS and Android platforms.

The release is a major step in Meta’s efforts to become a consumer-facing AI player. Meta AI is based on the company’s newest large language model, Llama 3, designed to provide users with personalized interactions.

Previously, Meta AI was integrated within Meta’s suite of apps—Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger—but now, users can engage with the assistant directly without needing to access any other Meta platform.

Like ChatGPT, the app has a chat interface, but Meta has introduced a novel social element to ChatGPT. A new feature called Discover allows users to scroll through a feed of conversations that others have had with Meta AI, much like how people scroll through social media timelines. This promotes collective learning, playful exploration, and public testing of AI tools.

Meta says the app is designed very much with real-world utility in mind. Users can request assistance writing emails, summarizing news, making travel arrangements, and even composing poetry. It is also integrated with image generation and search-enabled responses.

Meta AI enhances voice quality with full duplex mode to rival ChatGPT

One particularly big perk for Meta AI is its next-gen voice interactivity. The app introduces an opt-in feature for full duplex voice, where you can speak while the assistant responds simultaneously, removing the need to pause after giving a command.

This creates a smoother, more natural conversation that feels less like interacting with an automaton or typing phrases into a search box.

Currently, the feature is being tested in certain countries, such as the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The company said that Meta will make the technology available as it develops.

Meta AI also integrates with the company’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, providing AI-powered assistance without using hands. With the glasses, users can ask Meta AI questions about things in their environment and identify objects with a camera.

The CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said in a video posted on Instagram that Meta AI is designed to be your personal AI, and you can talk to it about whatever you want.” 

AI companies push the ecosystem toward hyperscale

At Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, the launch comes just ahead of LlamaCon—Meta’s first-ever developer conference focused on AI. The timing underscores the company’s broader strategy to double down on AI innovation and cultivate a developer ecosystem around its Llama models.

Earlier this month, Meta released Llama 3—the large language model powering Meta AI—as open-source software, setting it apart from competitors like OpenAI, which maintains strict control over its GPT models.

Meta says this is just the beginning. The company plans to monetize Meta AI through a premium version that is set to launch later this year. However, analysts caution that meaningful revenue from AI services likely won’t materialize until at least 2026.

As the race to dominate the AI space intensifies, Meta’s new app directly competes with major players like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. If Meta successfully combines social integration, advanced voice capabilities, and open-source accessibility across its platforms, it could emerge with a far more compelling AI offering than many expect.

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