Meta says AI is making app development faster, more new releases on the way

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said artificial intelligence is dramatically speeding up how quickly his company can build and release new applications. Speaking at an internal event, he made it clear that more apps are on the way — and soon.

AI as an accelerator for Meta's product pipeline

Zuckerberg told employees that AI-powered coding tools and automated testing systems have cut development cycles from months to weeks. This allows teams to experiment with ideas and ship products faster than ever before.

“We’re seeing a real shift in how we build,” he said, according to people familiar with the remarks. The company is now able to prototype, test and launch features in a fraction of the time it used to take.

Meta has not disclosed exactly how many new apps are in the pipeline. But sources close to the company say several consumer-facing products are being readied for release in the coming quarters.

Zuckerberg takes aim at AI centralisation

In the same address, Zuckerberg criticised what he called the “centralisation of AI power.” He argued that a handful of large players — without naming names — are hoarding the most advanced models and data, creating an uneven playing field.

“We need more open ecosystems, not fewer,” he said. The remarks echo Meta’s longstanding push for open-source AI development, a stance that has put it at odds with rivals like Google and OpenAI.

Zuckerberg has previously championed Meta’s Llama family of large language models as a counterweight to proprietary systems. He believes open access to powerful AI tools will spur innovation across the industry.

Personal AI agents for billions

Zuckerberg also made a bold prediction: within five years, billions of people will interact with personal AI agents daily. These agents, he said, will help users with tasks ranging from scheduling to content creation.

Meta is already building such agents into its platforms. WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram have begun testing AI-powered assistants that can handle customer service, recommend products or even simulate conversations with celebrities.

The company sees this as a major revenue opportunity. If users adopt personal AI agents at scale, Meta could collect valuable data and open new advertising channels.

A dystopian-but-lucrative vision

Critics have described Zuckerberg’s AI strategy as dystopian but potentially lucrative. Bloomberg recently called it “dystopian-but-lucrative,” pointing to Meta’s aggressive push to embed AI into every corner of its social media empire.

Privacy advocates have raised concerns about how Meta will handle the data collected by AI agents. The company has not yet detailed its data-use policies for these products.

Meta has also outlined plans for what it calls “personal AI superintelligence.” This long-term vision involves creating AI systems that are not just helpful but smarter than humans in many domains. Zuckerberg has framed this as a race that Meta cannot afford to lose.

What happens next: Meta is expected to unveil at least one new AI-powered app before the end of the year. Investors and regulators will be watching closely to see if the company can balance speed with safety.