“We will do a social app”: Sam Altman reacts to Meta’s plan to take on ChatGPT with Meta AI app

Sam Altman

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman had a funny reaction to reports that Meta is launching its own AI app to compete with ChatGPT. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), he said, “ok fine maybe we’ll do a social app” and added, “lol if facebook tries to come at us and we just uno reverse them it would be so funny.”

Meta AI, Meta’s chatbot, is about to get its own app. A CNBC report says the company will launch this standalone AI app in the next few months. This is a big step for Mark Zuckerberg, who wants Meta to be a top AI player by the end of the year.

Meta AI first appeared in September 2023 as a chatbot that could answer questions and create images. In April, Meta made it a bigger part of its apps by replacing the search bar in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger with Meta AI. Now, instead of just looking things up, users can chat with the AI assistant. Zuckerberg believes Meta AI will soon become the most popular AI assistant, used by over a billion people.

But Meta isn’t stopping there. A Threads user suggested that Meta should launch a separate AI app, saying it would work better across different devices, like Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Zuckerberg seemed to agree and responded with a red “100” emoji, which means “totally!”

Meta is also planning a paid version of Meta AI, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus. This version may come with more advanced features for users who want to pay. Meta’s CFO Susan Li confirmed in January that the company is looking at ways to make money from AI, including premium recommendations and subscriptions.

While Meta is making big moves, Altman’s playful response shows OpenAI isn’t too worried. Will OpenAI actually create a social media app just to shake things up? We’ll have to wait and see, but one thing is clear—this AI race is getting exciting!