Meta is taking personal AI to the next level with the launch of its brand-new standalone app, built on the powerful Llama 4 model. Designed for voice-first conversations and seamless integration, this AI assistant isn’t just smart — it’s social. Already woven into WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, the new app gives users an even more personal, natural, and hands-free way to interact with AI. Now rolling out in select countries, this marks a bold first step in Meta’s mission to bring deeply integrated, truly conversational AI to the world.

“While speaking with AI using your voice isn’t new, we’ve improved our underlying model with Llama 4 to bring you responses that feel more personal and relevant, and more conversational in tone,” said Meta. The app integrates with other Meta AI features like image generation and editing, which can now be done through a voice or text conversation with an AI assistant, it added. 

Meta AI uses Llama 4 to help solve problems, navigate daily questions, and better understand the world. With the ability to search across the web, it can help users get recommendations, deep dive on a topic, and stay connected with friends and family, according to Meta.

Meta’s New Discover Feed Turns AI Use Into a Social Experience

Discover Feed is a new feature introduced in the standalone Meta AI app that aims to blend AI interactions with social discovery, offering users a platform to share and explore AI-generated content and remix others’ ideas—creating a creative, community-driven space, where sharing is optional and user-controlled.

Meta’s Discover Feed Key Features 

• Users can post their AI prompts and the corresponding responses, including images or text generated by Meta AI.

• The feed allows users to like, comment, and remix others' posts, fostering a community of AI enthusiasts and creators.

• Nothing is shared to the feed unless the user chooses to post it, ensuring users’ full control over their content.

• By linking Facebook and Instagram accounts, the app can personalise responses using data from these platforms, enhancing the relevance of interactions.

• The feed serves as a source of inspiration, showcasing diverse ways users are engaging with AI, from creative prompts to practical applications.

AI Assistants Face Off: Meta’s Social Twist vs Tech Titans

The Meta AI App sets itself apart from other AI assistants by combining a voice-first experience, deep integration with Meta’s platforms (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger), and a unique Discover Feed, where users can explore, share, and remix AI-generated content. Unlike competitors, it offers personalised, socially aware responses by drawing on users’ interactions within Meta’s ecosystem (with user permission), creating a more contextual and engaging experience. 

Built on Meta’s powerful Llama 4 model, it supports multimodal inputs (text, voice, and images) and is free to use, making advanced AI more accessible and creatively interactive than most alternatives like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude.

This new launch positions Meta AI against several established and emerging competitors in the AI assistant space. Here’s an overview of other key AI alternatives:

OpenAI – ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a widely recognised AI assistant developed by OpenAI, known for its human-like conversational abilities. It's one of the most widely used AI tools globally.

Strengths:

• Strong natural language understanding and generation.

• Multimodal support (images, code, documents in GPT-4 Turbo).

• Integrated with Microsoft products.

Weaknesses:

• Doesn't pull from social or real-time personal data.

• GPT-4 requires a paid plan ($20/month), with free users only getting GPT-3.5.

• Not optimised for voice-first interaction out of the box.

Platforms: Web, iOS, Android, Microsoft integrations (Office, Bing)

Google – Gemini 

Gemini is Google’s conversational AI that offers powerful real-time data retrieval and multimodal functionality, including images and code, directly integrated with Google services.

Strengths:

• Live internet access for up-to-date information.

• Deep integration with Google Workspace (Docs, Gmail, Calendar).

• Strong performance in search and productivity.

Weaknesses:

• Still evolving in conversational depth—responses can be dry or overly technical.

• Limited creativity compared to ChatGPT or Claude.

• Less emphasis on community or personalisation beyond Google account data.

Platforms: Web, Android, iOS, Google apps.

Anthropic – Claude

Claude is developed by Anthropic with a primary focus on AI safety, ethics, and user alignment. It is designed to be helpful, harmless, and honest.

Strengths:

• Highly focused on ethical AI and safe outputs.

• Great for long context processing (can handle large documents).

• Clear and concise responses.

Weaknesses:

• Less available globally; limited platform integrations.

• Lacks multimodal support (no image or voice features as of now).

• No native mobile app; mostly web-based and API-driven.

Platforms: Web (Claude.ai), APIs via partnerships (e.g., Notion, Slack).

Microsoft – Copilot

Microsoft Copilot is not a standalone app but an integrated AI layer across Microsoft 365 applications, designed to boost productivity in professional settings.

Strengths:

• Seamlessly integrated into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook.

• Ideal for business, task automation, and document generation.

Weaknesses:

• Limited to enterprise users or those with Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

• Not a standalone chatbot; usage is restricted to productivity tools. 

• Not designed for casual or creative AI use cases (e.g., storytelling or image generation).

Platforms: Microsoft 365 apps, Windows, Azure.

xAI – Grok

Grok is a conversational AI developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, designed to be more edgy, witty, and integrated with X (formerly Twitter).

Strengths:

• Real-time access to trending topics on X (Twitter).

• Casual, humorous, and edgy tone sets it apart.

Weaknesses:

• Limited to X, with no broader app ecosystem or integrations.

• Lacks multimodal support and voice capabilities.

• Still in early development, and available only to Premium + subscribers.

Platforms: Web and mobile via the X app.

Meta AI App – powered by Llama 4

The Meta AI App is a new standalone AI assistant powered by Llama 4, designed to offer a voice-first, personalised, and socially integrated experience. 

Strengths:

• Voice-first design allows for hands-free, natural interactions.

• Deep integration with Meta platforms – Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – for context-aware responses.

• The Discover Feed enables users to explore, share, and remix AI-generated content, fostering a creative and social community.

• Free and mobile-first, making it accessible to a broad audience.

Weaknesses:

• Limited availability as it's only rolling out in select countries.

• As a first release, it may lack advanced features like coding tools or document analysis found in more mature AI apps.

• Potential privacy concerns, given its ability to personalise responses using user data from Meta platforms (though sharing is optional and controlled).

Platforms: iOS, Android, integrated within Meta Apps