**Meta Allegedly Crafting Independent Meta AI Application to Compete with ChatGPT, Sam Altman Reacts with Irony**
Meta is said to be gearing up to introduce Meta AI as a separate application to directly take on ChatGPT. OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman swiftly chimed in with a sardonic comment.
As reported by [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/27/meta-plans-to-release-a-standalone-meta-ai-app.html), Meta plans to extract Meta AI—currently a part of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—into its own specialized application by the second quarter of this year.
This strategy aligns with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s larger vision to establish Meta AI as the premier AI assistant, competing against rivals such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and xAI’s Grok. “This will be the year that a highly intelligent and personalized AI assistant reaches over 1 billion users, and I anticipate Meta AI to be that foremost AI assistant,” [Zuckerberg remarked](https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2024/q4/META-Q4-2024-Earnings-Call-Transcript.pdf) during Meta’s earnings call for the fourth-quarter in January.
Nonetheless, realizing that aspiration won’t come easily. While ChatGPT surged ahead as the [fastest-growing app in history](https://mashable.com/article/chatgpt-fastest-growing) post-launch, Meta AI has encountered a more tepid response. When Meta designated Meta AI as the default search function within its applications, numerous [users](https://www.reddit.com/r/facebook/comments/1carq5d/how_to_turn_off_meta_ai_it_is_awful_i_cant_search/) [voiced](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsapp/comments/1hyts4u/way_to_disable_meta_ai/) their [discontent](https://www.reddit.com/r/Instagram/comments/1ekbqn3/is_there_any_way_i_can_turn_this_stupid_meta_ai/) and soon discovered that [disabling it was impossible](https://mashable.com/article/how-to-turn-off-meta-ai). Additionally, as Meta AI is integrated into Meta’s platforms, its reported user engagement metrics may not accurately capture genuine usage. Meta’s CFO Susan Li claimed in January that Meta AI has “over 700 million monthly active users,” but this figure likely encompasses users who engage without intention.
In contrast, ChatGPT boasts more than [300 million](https://x.com/OpenAINewsroom/status/1864373399218475440) *weekly* active users. Altman seemed doubtful about Meta AI’s growth strategy, reacting to the CNBC article with a sarcastic [tweet](https://x.com/sama/status/1895230925753233763) on X: “Ok fine maybe we’ll do a social app.”
In a subsequent [post](https://x.com/sama/status/1895232244354294117), Altman remarked, “lol if [F]acebook tries to come at us and we just uno reverse them it would be so funny,” alluding to the widely recognized [Uno reverse card meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/uno-reverse-card) that signifies outsmarting an opponent.
Zuckerberg views Meta AI as crucial for driving user engagement and revenue, yet the company has faced challenges with past AI projects. Meta’s [celebrity AI avatars](https://mashable.com/article/meta-ai-celebrity-avatars-getting-axed) did not resonate with users and were discontinued within a year. Likewise, its AI character “Liv,” a “proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth-teller,” received backlash for being perceived as [“digital blackface”](https://www.npr.org/2025/01/12/nx-s1-5253945/why-critics-say-metas-chatbot-is-digital-blackface) and was later deactivated.
Compounding the issues, Meta has made it [challenging for users to opt out](https://mashable.com/article/meta-using-posts-train-ai-opt-out) of having their data utilized for training Meta AI, raising alarm over privacy and trust. Nevertheless, Meta is not alone in this approach—Google has enacted [similar data collection practices](https://www.zdnet.com/article/dont-tell-your-ai-anything-personal-google-warns-in-new-gemini-privacy-notice/) for Gemini, which could mitigate some of the criticism.
Your move, Zuck. Hope you understand how to play Uno.