Meta AI: The Assistant Inside WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook

What is Meta AI?

Meta AI is the AI assistant Meta builds into its apps and devices, plus a standalone Meta AI app and the meta.ai website. You can chat with it, ask it to search the web, analyse a photo, generate or edit images, or help plan and write, without leaving the app you are already using.

Source: Meta: Introducing Muse Spark (April 2026)

What model does Meta AI use?

Meta AI runs on Muse Spark, which Meta introduced in April 2026 as its most powerful model and which replaced Llama as Meta's flagship. Meta describes Instant mode for quick answers and Thinking mode for harder questions; the upgraded Muse Spark 1.1 powers Thinking mode in the Meta AI app and on meta.ai.

Source: Meta: Introducing Muse Spark (April 2026); Meta AI: Introducing Muse Spark 1.1; Zapier: Muse Wonder and Muse Spark, a guide to Meta's AI models

What happened to Llama?

The Llama models are still downloadable, but Meta's newer flagship models are the Muse family. Muse Spark is proprietary and cannot be downloaded. Meta's current open-weight model is Muse Glimmer, a 30-billion-parameter model released under the Apache 2.0 license that can run on a single consumer GPU and is available through tools such as Ollama.

Source: Zapier: Muse Wonder and Muse Spark, a guide to Meta's AI models; Ollama Blog: Muse Glimmer from Meta Superintelligence Labs (Aug 10, 2026)

Is Meta AI the same as Meta Muse?

Not quite. Meta AI is the free assistant inside Meta's apps. Muse is also the name of Meta's personal AI agent product, launched for adults in the US and Canada in September 2026 with a free tier and paid plans, which can carry out tasks such as booking and buying in your accounts. See our Meta Muse vs Instinct comparison for the agent.

Source: Zapier: Muse Wonder and Muse Spark, a guide to Meta's AI models; CNBC: Meta debuts Muse Wonder AI model (Oct 12, 2026)

How do I use Meta AI in WhatsApp?

Open a chat with Meta AI from the chats list or the Meta AI button, or mention @Meta AI in a group chat to ask it something everyone can see. Availability of features varies by country, and Meta rolls new capabilities out to the US first.

Source: Meta: Introducing Muse Spark (April 2026)

Can I use Meta AI in Instagram, Facebook and Messenger?

Yes. Meta AI is available in the search bar and chats in Instagram, Facebook and Messenger in supported countries. Meta said in April 2026 that the new Instant and Thinking modes would reach these apps and its AI glasses in the following weeks after launching in the Meta AI app and on meta.ai.

Source: Meta: Introducing Muse Spark (April 2026)

Is there a Meta AI app?

Yes. The Meta AI app (and the meta.ai website) is the most complete way to use the assistant, with chat history, image generation and the companion features for Meta's AI glasses.

Source: Meta: Introducing Muse Spark (April 2026)

What is Meta AI good at?

Meta highlights multimodal understanding (answering questions about photos and charts, including health-related questions developed with physicians), visual coding that builds simple websites and mini-games from a prompt you can share, and web-connected answers. Muse Spark 1.1 adds stronger tool use, longer multi-step work and lower hallucination rates, according to Meta.

Source: Meta: Introducing Muse Spark (April 2026); Meta AI: Introducing Muse Spark 1.1

Can Meta AI create images?

Yes. Meta's Muse Image model generates and edits images in the Meta AI app and on meta.ai, and appears in Instagram Stories in the US and WhatsApp in selected countries.

Source: Zapier: Muse Wonder and Muse Spark, a guide to Meta's AI models

Can developers use Meta's models?

Muse Spark is available to developers through the Meta Model API and Meta's Muse Code terminal coding agent. The open Muse Glimmer model can be downloaded and run locally.

Source: Meta AI: Introducing Muse Spark 1.1; Zapier: Muse Wonder and Muse Spark, a guide to Meta's AI models; Ollama Blog: Muse Glimmer from Meta Superintelligence Labs (Aug 10, 2026)

Does Meta AI read my private messages?

Personal chats in WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted, and Meta AI responds to the messages you send to it or where you @mention it. Treat anything you share directly with Meta AI as stored by Meta and potentially used to improve its AI, and avoid sharing sensitive health, financial or identity details. Meta's separate Muse agent has faced public questions about access to private messages, which Meta disputes, so read permissions carefully before connecting accounts to any agent.

Source: TechCrunch: Meta disputes claim that Muse read a user's private messages

Can I turn off Meta AI?

You cannot fully remove Meta AI from WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook in most countries, but you can avoid using it, mute or archive the Meta AI chat, and delete your conversations with it. Review the AI settings in Meta's Privacy Center for the options available in your country.

Is Meta AI better than ChatGPT?

Meta AI's advantage is that it is free and already inside apps billions of people use, which makes it the quickest option for everyday questions, image ideas and group chats. ChatGPT and Gemini offer deeper tools for long documents, projects, coding and agent work, plus paid tiers with higher limits. Many people use Meta AI for convenience and a dedicated assistant for serious work.

Source: Meta: Introducing Muse Spark (April 2026)

Is Meta AI free?

Yes. Meta AI is free to use in its apps and on meta.ai. Meta's separate personal agent, Muse, has paid plans for heavier use.

Source: Meta: Introducing Muse Spark (April 2026); CNBC: Meta debuts Muse Wonder AI model (Oct 12, 2026)