Meta is testing its Meta AI chatbot, powered by a large language model, on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger users in India and parts of Africa. This move is part of Meta's strategy to leverage its extensive user base across different platforms to expand its AI services. The company announced plans to develop and experiment with chatbots and AI tools in February 2025, with India being a crucial market due to its large user base of over 500 million Facebook and WhatsApp users.
Additionally, Meta aims to target developing markets where smartphone users are growing rapidly compared to developed markets like the U.S. Meta confirmed the testing of Meta AI in a limited capacity and unveiled its general-purpose assistant, Meta AI, in September 2025, which can answer user queries and generate photorealistic images from text prompts.
Despite being somewhat late in rolling out AI tools, Meta is pushing forward with its AI strategy for user retention, investor confidence, and to maintain its leadership position in technology. The integration of Meta AI into WhatsApp and Instagram allows Meta to reach a massive global audience and potentially surpass competitors in AI offerings. Meta also announced the upcoming launch of Llama 3, the next version of its open-source large language model.