Meta AI is the AI assistant from Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Its most important feature is where it lives: inside the same messengers and social networks that billions of people open every day, plus a website, a standalone app and Meta's smart glasses. Meta built the early generations of Meta AI on its open Llama models and has now rebuilt it on newer models of its own so that, besides chatting, it can plan and carry out multi-step tasks. Its main difference from competitors is that you don't need to install a new app; it is available in a WhatsApp chat or Instagram search.

What is Meta AI good for?#

  • A quick question mid-conversation: in a WhatsApp group discussing a trip, you ask Meta AI to suggest a few destinations and an itinerary.
  • Creating and editing images: it makes an image for a story or a greeting, or changes your own photo from a text instruction.
  • Planning: it builds and tracks a weekly meal plan, a workout plan or a project to-do list.
  • Content ideas: an Instagram content creator gets help with captions, hashtags or Reels ideas.
  • Smart glasses: with Meta's glasses you ask about what you see or translate a sign.

Strengths and weaknesses#

Strengths:

  • Available inside WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger with no new app
  • Free for everyday use
  • Fast image creation and editing
  • Evolving into an assistant that gets things done in newer generations

Weaknesses:

  • Active only in selected countries
  • Support for many languages is limited
  • A serious privacy concern: conversations may be used to train models and personalize ads
  • Weaker than more specialized chatbots at tasks like coding or analyzing long documents

Free tier and pricing#

Meta AI is freemium. Chat and everyday use are free. Meta offers subscriptions that provide higher limits for image and video generation and special creative features in its apps, along with other benefits. Check the official site for current pricing.

Language support#

Meta AI officially supports a limited set of languages, and answers in other languages can be incomplete or read like a translation. For serious work in a less common language, ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude are better options. Before using it, don't type anything into a chat that you don't want Meta to store.

Meta AI alternatives#

  • ChatGPT: more of an all-rounder with broader language support.
  • Gemini: Google's assistant, connected to Gmail and Drive.
  • Grok: an assistant inside the X network with access to live content.

Because fake images and fraudulent messages are common on messengers, read AI scams: fake voices, phishing and how to spot them; and before typing personal information, review what you should never give an AI: keys, passwords and customer data.