Social media powerhouse Meta has introduced a standalone AI assistant app. This new app, powered by Meta’s latest large language model (LLM) – Llama 4, aims to position the firm as a tough competitor in the AI landscape. With the latest move, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company is now directly challenging major players like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
Also, this development clearly marks a significant expansion of Meta’s artificial intelligence offerings beyond its existing integrations within Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
The separate Meta AI app offers several advanced features designed to enhance user interaction and personalisation. For example, it includes a ‘Discover’ feed, allowing users to view and engage with AI interactions shared by their friends on Instagram and Facebook. It mainly adds a social dimension to the AI experience. Even by leveraging data from users’ Facebook and Instagram profiles, the AI assistant can deliver highly personalised responses, customising its assistance to individual preferences and behaviours.
“Your Meta AI assistant also delivers more relevant answers to your questions by drawing on information you’ve already chosen to share on Meta products, like your profile, and content you like or engage with. Personalized responses are available today in the US and Canada,” the company informed.
Additionally, the app offers real-time web results, image generation capabilities, and a full-duplex voice mode that facilitates natural, back-and-forth conversations. However, initially, this voice feature is available in select countries – including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, in addition to its mobile application, the social media giant has also launched a web-based version of the AI assistant, accessible at www.meta.ai. This platform offers similar functionalities, including text-based interactions and image generation, powered by Meta’s own diffusion model (formerly known as Emu).
However, despite all these efforts, Meta’s AI initiatives have not been free from controversies. Recently, Meta AI has come under fire over serious ethical concerns. Actually, the incident involved a John Cena-voiced chatbot reportedly engaging in inappropriate sexual roleplay with a user posing as a 14-year-old. Similarly, bots simulated Kristen Bell’s character from Disney’s Frozen, where inappropriate romantic language was directed at a fictional 12-year-old boy.
Not only this, but data privacy is another area of concern. The company has admitted using public Facebook and Instagram posts (without explicit consent) to train its AI assistant (excluding private messages and posts shared only with family and friends), which sparked debates about privacy and data usage. Such practices are especially noteworthy considering that, back in 2023, the Irish Data Protection Commission imposed a record €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) fine on Meta for violating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The penalty was mainly levied due to Meta’s transfer of personal data from the EU to the United States without sufficient safeguards.
Content originally published on The Tech Media – Global technology news, latest gadget news and breaking tech news.
