Meta is beginning to test generative AI features across some of its best-known apps. The early work includes text-based tools for WhatsApp and Messenger, as the company builds a new product group to bring AI into its services.
Text-based tools are the first step
Mark Zuckerberg said the new group will initially focus on creative tools. The longer-term ambition is to develop AI personas that can help people in different ways, though he cautioned that Meta still has foundational work to do before it can offer those experiences.
The company is starting with experiments in WhatsApp and Messenger. The source describes them as presumably similar to ChatGPT-style conversation bots, but does not detail how they will work or when users might encounter them.
Conversational AI could give people a new way to interact with the messaging apps. The same capabilities might also become useful to businesses, including for sales and customer support. Those are potential directions rather than announced products.
Instagram experiments extend beyond chat
Meta is also exploring AI-assisted filters and advertising formats for Instagram. The company has mentioned video and multimodal experiences as part of its experimentation, suggesting the effort reaches beyond text conversations.
Together, the experiments point to a broad effort to incorporate generative AI into Meta’s products. The company has not presented these early tests as finished features. Zuckerberg’s comments instead frame them as initial work toward more ambitious AI experiences.
A crowded field of AI products
Generative AI had been available for some time, but ChatGPT brought it to mainstream attention. Since then, several companies have announced or integrated conversational AI products.
Microsoft has added AI capabilities to Bing search and the Edge browser. Google said it was experimenting with Bard, while You.com and Neeva announced AI chat integrations. Snapchat also launched a custom-trained chatbot for paid subscribers.
Meta’s entry places its messaging apps in a fast-moving product landscape. WhatsApp and Messenger already connect users with people and organizations, which makes conversational features a natural area for experimentation. The source, however, does not say whether Meta will offer a chatbot to businesses or how any such service might be priced.
Revenue goals remain part of the backdrop
The move comes as Meta looks for new ways to generate revenue. The company’s major bet on the metaverse had not yet paid off, and it had recently introduced the Meta Verified subscription program.
Paid plans at social networks had not yet shown signs of becoming major revenue drivers, according to the source. That context helps explain why Meta may be interested in AI features with potential uses for both consumers and businesses, though the company has not said that revenue is the purpose of these specific experiments.
For now, the clear development is that Meta is investing in generative AI and testing possible applications across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. The initial focus is creative tools and text-based experimentation; AI personas remain a longer-term aim that depends on further foundational work.