Meta plans paid subscription service for chatbot Meta AI, source says

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By Katie Paul

(Reuters) – Meta Platforms plans to test a paid subscription service for its AI-enabled chatbot Meta AI, similar to those offered by OpenAI and Microsoft to access advanced versions of their chatbots, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

The source said the test will begin in the second quarter this year, but they do not expect the subscription service to earn meaningful revenue until next year at the earliest.

Launched in September 2023, Meta AI is a virtual assistant that uses large language models to perform reasoning tasks.

Meta declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

The move comes as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg aims to bolster the company’s position against rivals Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google in the race to dominate the AI space.

Zuckerberg said in January that the company plans to spend as much as $65 billion this year to expand its AI infrastructure.

Meta is also establishing a new division within its Reality Labs unit to develop AI-powered humanoid robots that can assist with physical tasks, Reuters reported earlier this month.

The social media giant plans to debut a standalone Meta AI app to join Facebook and Instagram during the second quarter, CNBC reported earlier on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Big technology firms have been investing tens of billions of dollars to develop AI infrastructure after the success of ChatGPT.

In January, Microsoft said it was planning to invest about $80 billion in fiscal 2025 to develop data centers, while Amazon.com has said its 2025 spending would be higher than the estimated $75 billion in 2024.

(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona)