Meta plans standalone AI app launch to rival OpenAI and Google

Meta is preparing to launch a standalone Meta AI app, joining its suite of platforms alongside Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, according to reports.

Set to debut in the second quarter, the move marks a significant step in CEO Mark Zuckerberg's ambition to reportedly, position the platform as a leader in artificial intelligence by the end of the year, outpacing rivals such as OpenAI and Alphabet.

Meta AI, first introduced in September 2023, is a generative AI-powered digital assistant designed to respond to user prompts and create images within Meta's existing apps. In April 2024, the company integrated Meta AI into Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, replacing the search function with the chatbot.

Since then, Meta AI has emerged as a key tool for Zuckerberg to showcase the company's generative AI capabilities to billions of users.

"This is going to be the year when a highly intelligent and personalised AI assistant reaches more than 1 billion people, and I expect Meta AI to be that leading AI assistant," Zuckerberg told analysts during Meta's fourth-quarter earnings call in January.

Currently, Meta AI is only accessible via Meta's website and its apps, such as Facebook and WhatsApp. While the AI assistant already reaches Meta's vast user base, a standalone app could allow for more direct and personalised interactions, sources said.

In January, Zuckerberg appeared to support the idea of a dedicated Meta AI app when he responded with a red '100' emoji to a Threads user's suggestion that a separate app would unify the digital assistant across smartphones and hardware, including the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The user also highlighted the potential for deeper personalisation and streamlined conversational histories.

Meta is also exploring a paid subscription model for Meta AI, following the example of OpenAI and Microsoft, which charge monthly fees for advanced versions of their respective AI tools, ChatGPT and Copilot.

During Meta's January earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Susan Li noted that while the company's current focus is on "building a great consumer experience," there are "clear monetisation opportunities" ahead, including paid recommendations and premium offerings.

Meta AI's reach & competition

Meta AI has about 700 million monthly active users as of January, up from 600 million in December, according to Li. However, direct comparisons with rivals like ChatGPT remain challenging, as Meta AI is not yet available as an independent app.

CNBC reported in December that the Meta AI website garners fewer than 10 million monthly views, describing the figure as "far below the major services (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc) and even lower than some mid-range players like Anthropic."

India remains Meta AI's largest market, Li told analysts in July, with significant engagement on WhatsApp. She reiterated in January that WhatsApp leads in Meta AI usage, followed by Facebook, where users increasingly interact with the AI through feed deep-dives and content recommendations.

The platform's move mirrors similar strategies by Google and Elon Musk's xAI, both of which recently launched standalone apps for their AI assistants. Google introduced an iOS app for Gemini in November 2024, after debuting the Android version earlier that year. Last week, Google directed iOS users to download the dedicated Gemini app from the App Store, discontinuing access via the Google mobile app.

xAI also released a Grok iOS app and a standalone website in January, with Android users currently on a waitlist for the app.

ChatGPT remains the most popular AI-powered app by downloads, according to Sensor Tower's 'State of Mobile 2025' report, published in January. The report ranks the top generative AI chatbot apps as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, ByteDance's Doubao and Microsoft's Copilot.

Zuckerberg has reportedly intensified pressure on Meta's AI teams to accelerate product development, with sources indicating that some employees are working seven days a week to maintain momentum.

"Meta is working on building some of the most important technologies of the world: AI, glasses as the next computing platform and the future of social media," Zuckerberg wrote in a January memo announcing layoffs. "This is going to be an intense year, and I want to make sure we have the best people on our teams."