According to the Financial Times, Meta is developing a highly personalized AI assistant for its billions of users to help them complete daily tasks. Now, the company is facing scrutiny from investors over its rising spending on AI.
Caption: Meta
Meta is developing agent tools for its more than 3 billion users, including an advanced digital assistant powered by its new Muse Spark AI model, according to people familiar with the matter.
A person familiar with the project said the assistant is being tested internally by a group of employees. Another insider said Meta's goal is to develop a product similar to OpenClaw, which allows users to create AI robots called "agents" that can complete various tasks autonomously.
Meta hopes to share highly sensitive information, such as health and financial data, with its AI assistant on a voluntary basis, people familiar with the matter said. However, some question whether consumers will be willing to do so. “The trust gap is as huge as the Grand Canyon,” the person added.
This move highlights Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s determination to deeply embed AI into the core of Meta’s consumer products. At this point, investors are increasingly concerned about the cost and execution of his ambitious vision of "personal superintelligence."
Despite Meta’s plans to cut 10% of its workforce later this month, Zuckerberg continues to invest billions in AI infrastructure and talent.
The idea for these personal assistants was explained internally to Meta employees during an all-hands meeting last week. Specifically, Meta is building similar functionality to OpenClaw. OpenClaw is a popular open source project that allows users to create assistants, often used to automate tasks such as browsing the web, managing email, or calendaring. Meta tried to recruit OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger earlier this year, but he ended up joining OpenAI.
Zuckerberg said during last week’s earnings call that OpenClaw remains difficult for most users to get started and operate. "How to create a more refined, more complete and easier-to-use experience, and basically provide all the infrastructure for users so that it can be used immediately?" he said.
Zuckerberg said that although there are a variety of "intelligent" tools available on the market, "there are very few that I would recommend to my mother."
However, OpenClaw has come under scrutiny for security and privacy risks, especially if users grant the bot access to personal information and the technology gets out of hand.