Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News
      Big Microsoft 365 price increases coming next year

      Big Microsoft price increases coming next year

      5 December 2025
      Vodacom to take control of Safaricom in R36-billion deal - Shameel Joosub

      Vodacom to take control of Safaricom in R36-billion deal

      4 December 2025
      Black Friday goes digital in South Africa as online spending surges to record high

      Black Friday goes digital in South Africa as online spending surges to record high

      4 December 2025
      BYD takes direct aim at Toyota with launch of sub-R500 000 Sealion 5 PHEV

      BYD takes direct aim at Toyota with launch of sub-R500 000 Sealion 5 PHEV

      4 December 2025
      'Get it now': Takealot in new instant deliveries pilot

      ‘Get it now’: Takealot in new instant deliveries pilot

      4 December 2025
    • World
      Amazon and Google launch multi-cloud service for faster connectivity

      Amazon and Google launch multi-cloud service for faster connectivity

      1 December 2025
      Google makes final court plea to stop US breakup

      Google makes final court plea to stop US breakup

      21 November 2025
      Bezos unveils monster rocket: New Glenn 9x4 set to dwarf Saturn V

      Bezos unveils monster rocket: New Glenn 9×4 set to dwarf Saturn V

      21 November 2025
      Tech shares turbocharged by Nvidia's stellar earnings

      Tech shares turbocharged by stellar Nvidia earnings

      20 November 2025
      Config file blamed for Cloudflare meltdown that disrupted the web

      Config file blamed for Cloudflare meltdown that disrupted the web

      19 November 2025
    • In-depth
      Jensen Huang Nvidia

      So, will China really win the AI race?

      14 November 2025
      Valve's Linux console takes aim at Microsoft's gaming empire

      Valve’s Linux console takes aim at Microsoft’s gaming empire

      13 November 2025
      iOCO's extraordinary comeback plan - Rhys Summerton

      iOCO’s extraordinary comeback plan

      28 October 2025
      Why smart glasses keep failing - no, it's not the tech - Mark Zuckerberg

      Why smart glasses keep failing – it’s not the tech

      19 October 2025
      BYD to blanket South Africa with megawatt-scale EV charging network - Stella Li

      BYD to blanket South Africa with megawatt-scale EV charging network

      16 October 2025
    • TCS
      TCS+ | How Cloud on Demand helps partners thrive in the AWS ecosystem - Odwa Ndyaluvane and Xenia Rhode

      TCS+ | How Cloud On Demand helps partners thrive in the AWS ecosystem

      4 December 2025
      TCS | MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita on competition, AI and the future of mobile

      TCS | Ralph Mupita on competition, AI and the future of mobile

      28 November 2025
      TCS | Dominic Cull on fixing South Africa's ICT policy bottlenecks

      TCS | Dominic Cull on fixing South Africa’s ICT policy bottlenecks

      21 November 2025
      TCS | BMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa's automotive industry

      TCS | BMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industry

      6 November 2025
      TCS | Why Altron is building an AI factory - Bongani Andy Mabaso

      TCS | Why Altron is building an AI factory in Johannesburg

      28 October 2025
    • Opinion
      Your data, your hardware: the DIY AI revolution is coming - Duncan McLeod

      Your data, your hardware: the DIY AI revolution is coming

      20 November 2025
      Zero Carbon Charge founder Joubert Roux

      The energy revolution South Africa can’t afford to miss

      20 November 2025
      It's time for a new approach to government IT spend in South Africa - Richard Firth

      It’s time for a new approach to government IT spend in South Africa

      19 November 2025
      How South Africa's broken Rica system fuels murder and mayhem - Farhad Khan

      How South Africa’s broken Rica system fuels murder and mayhem

      10 November 2025
      South Africa's AI data centre boom risks overloading a fragile grid - Paul Colmer

      South Africa’s AI data centre boom risks overloading a fragile grid

      30 October 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • IQbusiness
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Netstar
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Vodacom Business
      • Wipro
      • Workday
      • XLink
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Financial services
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Satellite communications
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Sections » AI and machine learning » Meta launches standalone AI assistant

    Meta launches standalone AI assistant

    Facebook parent Meta Platforms has launched a separate app for its Meta AI assistant.
    By Agency Staff30 April 2025
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Meta launches standalone AI assistantFacebook parent Meta Platforms has launched a separate app for its Meta AI assistant, similar to those offered by Google and Microsoft-backed OpenAI.

    The standalone app comes as Meta looks to boost the AI assistant’s usage, apart from being available within the company’s family of platforms — WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger.

    It also signals CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s move to strengthen the company’s position in the competitive AI landscape, taking on major rivals such as OpenAI and Google.

    The Instagram owner is set to report its first-quarter results on Wednesday after markets close

    Meta’s separate app will provide more personalised responses based on context and other user-specific elements related to the user’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

    Llama 4, Meta’s latest large language model, powers the Meta AI assistant and is designed to rival the latest AI models from OpenAI, Google, Deepseek and Anthropic, with improved reasoning, multilingual capabilities and efficiency.

    The new app will integrate with Meta’s AI glasses and merge with the existing companion app, the company said.

    Meta hosted its first-ever AI developer event, dubbed LlamaCon, on Tuesday, which centred on its Llama family of AI models.

    Reasoning

    The Instagram owner is set to report its first-quarter results on Wednesday after markets close.

    Meta will start testing a paid subscription for the AI chatbot’s advanced versions in the second quarter, Reuters reported in February. However, the subscription service might not rake in meaningful revenue until next year at the earliest, a source had said.

    Read: Zuckerberg eyed Instagram spinoff from Meta

    Meta AI, which was launched in September 2023, is a virtual assistant that uses large language models to perform reasoning tasks.  — Akash Sriram, (c) 2025 Reuters

    Get breaking news from TechCentral on WhatsApp. Sign up here.

    Don’t miss:

    Meta to build world’s longest subsea broadband cable – and South Africa is included



    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleNaspers and Prosus appoint veteran insider as CFO
    Next Article MTN vs Turkcell: $4.2bn bribery lawsuit heads to SA’s top court

    Related Posts

    Big Microsoft 365 price increases coming next year

    Big Microsoft price increases coming next year

    5 December 2025
    AI is not a technology problem - iqbusiness

    AI is not a technology problem – iqbusiness

    5 December 2025
    Vodacom to take control of Safaricom in R36-billion deal - Shameel Joosub

    Vodacom to take control of Safaricom in R36-billion deal

    4 December 2025
    Company News
    AI is not a technology problem - iqbusiness

    AI is not a technology problem – iqbusiness

    5 December 2025
    Telcos are sitting on a data gold mine - but few know what do with it - Phillip du Plessis

    Telcos are sitting on a data gold mine – but few know what do with it

    4 December 2025
    Unlock smarter computing with your surface Copilot+ PC

    Unlock smarter computing with your Surface Copilot+ PC

    4 December 2025
    Opinion
    Your data, your hardware: the DIY AI revolution is coming - Duncan McLeod

    Your data, your hardware: the DIY AI revolution is coming

    20 November 2025
    Zero Carbon Charge founder Joubert Roux

    The energy revolution South Africa can’t afford to miss

    20 November 2025
    It's time for a new approach to government IT spend in South Africa - Richard Firth

    It’s time for a new approach to government IT spend in South Africa

    19 November 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Latest Posts
    Big Microsoft 365 price increases coming next year

    Big Microsoft price increases coming next year

    5 December 2025
    AI is not a technology problem - iqbusiness

    AI is not a technology problem – iqbusiness

    5 December 2025
    Vodacom to take control of Safaricom in R36-billion deal - Shameel Joosub

    Vodacom to take control of Safaricom in R36-billion deal

    4 December 2025
    Black Friday goes digital in South Africa as online spending surges to record high

    Black Friday goes digital in South Africa as online spending surges to record high

    4 December 2025
    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media
    • Cookie policy (ZA)
    • TechCentral – privacy and Popia

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Manage consent

    TechCentral uses cookies to enhance its offerings. Consenting to these technologies allows us to serve you better. Not consenting or withdrawing consent may adversely affect certain features and functions of the website.

    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    • Manage options
    • Manage services
    • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
    • Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    • {title}
    • {title}
    • {title}