Meta AI hits 1 billion monthly active users; subscriptions and monetization next, says Zuckerberg

Meta’s AI assistant has hit a major milestone: 1 billion monthly users across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who shared the update during the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday.

The news comes just a month after Meta stepped up its AI ambitions with the launch of a standalone Meta AI app, putting it in direct competition with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Meta AI Now Has 1 Billion Users

Zuckerberg said the focus this year is on making Meta AI feel more personal, with voice conversations, entertainment features, and smarter customization taking priority. “The focus for this year is deepening the experience and making Meta AI the leading personal AI with an emphasis on personalization, voice conversations, and entertainment,” he told shareholders.

The assistant has picked up steam since Meta launched a standalone app in April, a move that helped boost usage across its platforms.

What’s next? Zuckerberg said Meta isn’t rushing to monetize the assistant just yet, but it’s on the roadmap. Once the product matures, the company plans to explore ways to make money, like inserting sponsored recommendations or offering premium features behind a paywall. “There will be opportunities to either insert paid recommendations,” he said, “or offer a subscription service so that people can pay to use more compute.”

Early this year, CNBC also reported that Meta was looking to roll out a dedicated Meta AI app in Q2 and possibly test a paid tier, similar to what OpenAI has done with ChatGPT Plus.

Meta first introduced its chatbot in September 2023, building it directly into apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The assistant could respond to prompts, create images, and handle casual queries, without users needing to leave the app.

In April, Meta took it a step further by swapping out the search bars in those apps with Meta AI. That move signaled the company’s intent to make AI feel like a core experience across its platforms.

“It may seem kind of funny that a billion monthly actives doesn’t seem like it’s at scale for us, but that’s where we’re at,” Zuckerberg said.

While AI dominated the headline, the shareholder meeting also included votes on 14 items tied to Meta’s operations. Nine of them came from shareholders, with topics ranging from child safety and emissions to a proposal about how the company handles hate speech, including antisemitism.

One proposal from JLens, affiliated with the Anti-Defamation League, called for Meta to publish an annual report on harmful content in light of January’s policy shifts that relaxed content moderation

Early voting results suggest that most proposals not backed by Meta’s board are unlikely to pass. That includes a push to end the dual-class share structure that gives Zuckerberg a controlling stake. Proposals supported by the board, like board member approval and an equity incentive plan, are expected to pass, CNBC reported.

Meta said final vote tallies will be posted on its investor site and with the SEC within four business days.

Meta isn’t just building AI into its products—it’s betting big that its assistant can become the go-to option for a billion people. And with a new standalone app in the mix, the company is clearly all in.