Meta’s Consumer-Focused AI Agent Could Be Weeks From Launch

Meta is reportedly ready to unveil its consumer-focused AI agent designed to rival OpenClaw.

The tech giant’s new offering, known in-house as “Hatch,” could debut in the next several weeks, The Information reported Monday (Aug. 24), citing internal Meta documents.

Beyond that, Meta is planning to roll out its latest artificial intelligence (AI) model, known as “Watermelon,” in October, said the report.

The Information characterizes Hatch as part of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s effort to monetize the company’s massive AI investments and diversify its revenue sources beyond advertising. 

According to the report, Meta has considered a tiered pricing system, including charging up to $199.99 per month for a premium subscription to Hatch that would offer higher usage limits.

The report added that Hatch has been trained to access websites such as DoorDash, Etsy, Reddit, Yelp and Outlook. Early prototypes show the offering will come with a customizable dashboard displaying tools or skills created by the agents, like fitness trackers or developing a travel itinerary, The Information added.

The company is also readying a platform on WhatsApp that would let users integrate other AI agents and chat with them via the messaging service, with a rollout to a smaller group of users planned for as soon as this week, the report said.

Zuckerberg had said on an earnings call earlier this year that he saw an opportunity to build a version of the OpenClaw AI agent that was more polished and easier to use.

As PYMNTS wrote in May, Meta and Google, which is working on its own agent, have an edge over that product. 

OpenClaw requires installation on a personal computer, while Hatch will run inside Instagram, used by more than 2 billion people each day.

“There’s no setup. The assistant arrives inside something people already open,” that report said, adding that this positioning is in line with consumer behavior.

Upwards of 60% of Americans used a dedicated AI platform in the past year, according to PYMNTS Intelligence’s report, “How AI Becomes the Place Consumers Start Everything.”

“Neither Google nor Meta faces the cost problem that ended OpenClaw’s cheap access. Both own the computing infrastructure that their assistants run on,” the report added. 

“When Anthropic raised the price of running OpenClaw, millions of users were left without an affordable option. Google and Meta are building for exactly that audience into the places those users already are.”

The post Meta’s Consumer-Focused AI Agent Could Be Weeks From Launch appeared first on PYMNTS.com.