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Meta is building a highly personalized artificial intelligence assistant designed to carry out everyday tasks for its billions of users, according to the Financial Times. The social media giant faces growing investor scrutiny over its escalating AI spending as it pushes forward with ambitious plans to compete in the AI assistant market.
The company is developing what industry experts call “agentic” tools, including an advanced digital assistant powered by its new Muse Spark AI model. The assistant is currently being tested internally by a group of staff, with the goal of creating a product similar to OpenClaw.
OpenClaw, owned by OpenAI, represents the next generation of AI assistants. Unlike traditional chatbots, it can connect multiple hardware and software tools while learning from the data it processes with minimal human intervention. This approach allows for more autonomous task completion across different platforms and services.
The development marks Meta’s latest attempt to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Major tech companies are racing to create AI assistants that can move beyond simple conversations to actually perform complex tasks on behalf of users. This shift from reactive chatbots to proactive AI agents represents a significant leap in artificial intelligence capabilities.
Separately, The Information reported that Meta is training an internal AI agent codenamed “Hatch,” also inspired by OpenClaw. The company aims to complete internal testing of this system by the end of June, suggesting an aggressive timeline for bringing advanced AI capabilities to market.
Meta’s plans extend beyond general-purpose assistance. The company is developing a specialized agentic shopping tool that will be integrated into Instagram. This tool is targeted for launch before the fourth quarter of this year, potentially transforming how users interact with e-commerce content on the platform.
The timing of these developments comes as Meta faces financial pressure from investors concerned about the company’s massive AI investments. The Facebook and Instagram parent recently raised its annual capital spending forecast, signaling plans to invest billions more into AI infrastructure. This spending comes even as the company confronts potential losses from a global youth backlash against social media platforms.
The push into advanced AI assistants reflects broader industry trends where tech giants are betting that autonomous AI agents will become the next major computing interface. These systems promise to handle complex, multi-step tasks across different applications and services, potentially changing how people interact with technology in their daily lives.
For Meta specifically, success in AI assistants could provide new revenue streams and user engagement opportunities at a time when its core social media business faces demographic challenges. The company’s billions of existing users across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp provide a massive potential audience for AI-powered services.
The development also highlights the intensifying competition between Meta and OpenAI, which has established itself as a leader in the AI assistant space. By creating tools inspired by OpenClaw, Meta is essentially acknowledging OpenAI’s technical achievements while attempting to build competitive alternatives.
