Meta Launches Standalone AI App to Compete with ChatGPT

Meta launched a standalone AI assistant app using Llama 4, offering personalized voice chat, smart glasses support, and optional social sharing features.

Meta announced that it has released a new standalone app for its AI assistant, Meta AI, aiming to rival ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.  Previously available only inside WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, Meta AI can now be accessed directly through its own app.

The system allows users to get answers to questions, produce images, and maintain voice dialogues with enhanced voice functionality. The assistant improves over time by storing information about user preferences—including food choices and hobbies—to deliver customized responses.

According to Meta, the platform can provide better personalized responses because it already holds extensive user data from years of Facebook and Instagram usage. The company explained that Meta AI learns about users, so its responses become more useful. These customized features remain available only to users in the U.S. and Canada.

Users browsing the Discover feed of Meta AI can view or share creative AI-generated interactions by asking the assistant to generate emoji descriptions of themselves. All data remains private unless users explicitly choose to share it.

Those who begin a conversation on one device can seamlessly continue it on another, thanks to the app’s integration with Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses. The same features are also accessible through the web-based version of the service.

Experts advise users to remain vigilant when using these tools. The assistant expands Meta’s data collection, as the company leverages this information to support its advertising business model, as noted by TechCrunch.

Meta has announced it will use public posts and chatbot interactions from EU users to train its AI, despite earlier privacy concerns that delayed the rollout. In response to pressure from regulators and advocacy groups, Meta now provides an opt-out form for users who object to data usage.

While Meta claims its AI investment will help better reflect Europe’s languages and cultures, the project continues to raise ethical concerns. Meta also previously faced criticism for launching AI-generated profiles on Instagram and Facebook, which many users found deceptive and manipulative.

Meta plans to test a paid version of the AI later this year. For now, the free app is available in select countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.