Meta Says AI Is Making It Easier to Build New Apps

AI News

July 31, 2026

Meta Says AI Is Making It Easier to Build New Apps

Meta says artificial intelligence is dramatically reducing the time required to develop and launch consumer applications, allowing the company to test more product ideas than before.

During Meta’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said AI is helping internal teams accelerate product development. He expects the company to release additional standalone apps and use Meta’s recommendation systems to help successful products grow.

Meta launches several standalone apps

Meta has recently introduced multiple experimental and specialized products.

These include Instagram Instants, a photo-sharing app connected to Instagram; Forum, a standalone application for Facebook Groups; and Seller, an app designed for Marketplace merchants. The company has also tested an AI-powered bedtime-story experience and released other smaller consumer experiments.

Zuckerberg said Meta plans to develop more ideas as AI makes software production faster. However, the company has not revealed detailed information about the additional consumer products that are expected to launch soon.

AI reduces development time

Large language models can support software teams by writing code, evaluating content, identifying trends and testing product changes.

Meta CFO Susan Li said AI agents are already helping engineers assess content quality and test modifications to the company’s ranking systems. These tools can reduce the amount of manual work required before a feature or application is released.

Faster development also allows Meta to experiment with smaller products without committing the same level of time and resources that a traditional app launch might require.

If an idea fails to attract users, the company can close or redesign it. If it performs well, Meta can promote it across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and its other platforms.

Recommendations could help new apps grow

Developing an app quickly does not guarantee that people will use it.

Meta’s larger advantage is its ability to distribute new products through an ecosystem that averaged 3.6 billion daily active people in June 2026.

The company also believes AI-powered recommendations can help new apps identify relevant content and connect users with communities that match their interests.

Threads provides an example of this strategy. The platform has reached approximately 500 million monthly active users, supported by promotion across Instagram and Facebook and improvements to AI-based content recommendations.

Meta says large language models are becoming more effective at understanding the subject and tone of content. Every Reel and Feed post on Instagram is now processed through an LLM to help improve recommendations.

Meta has struggled with experimental apps before

This is not Meta’s first attempt to build a portfolio of smaller standalone products.

The company previously operated Creative Labs, which produced apps including Paper, Rooms, Slingshot and Riff. Meta later created the NPE Team to experiment with social music, dating, messaging, events and creator applications.

None of those projects became a major long-term success, and most were eventually discontinued.

AI may allow Meta to repeat this experimental strategy at a lower development cost. The company can create more prototypes, release them sooner and use real user activity to decide which products deserve further investment.

AI supports Meta’s core business

New applications are only one part of Meta’s wider AI strategy.

The company says AI is improving content recommendations, advertising performance and the relevance of its existing platforms. Meta reported second-quarter revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% from the same period a year earlier.

However, the strategy requires substantial investment. Meta spent $31.08 billion on capital expenditures during the quarter and expects full-year 2026 capital spending of between $130 billion and $145 billion.

The company will need successful products and stronger advertising performance to justify those costs.

More consumer products are coming

Meta believes AI can change app development from a slow process into a faster cycle of creation, testing and improvement.

The strategy combines AI coding tools, automated product evaluation and recommendation systems with Meta’s enormous existing audience.

Whether the upcoming apps become lasting products remains uncertain. Meta’s previous experiments show that rapid development does not automatically create user demand.

Still, AI gives the company the ability to test more ideas with less development friction. Meta’s next challenge is turning that speed into consumer applications people continue using after the initial launch.