undefined | Meta debuts new AI model, attempting to catch Google, OpenAI after spending billions Meta has unveiled its first major large‑language model since hiring Scale AI’s chief AI officer Alexandr Wang, introducing “Muse Spark” (formerly codenamed Avocado) through its new Muse series. Developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, the model is designed to be small, fast, and efficient while still capable of handling complex scientific, mathematical, and health‑related queries. Unlike Meta’s recent open‑source Llama 4 family, Muse Spark will initially be proprietary, with a private API preview available to select partners and plans for a broader paid API offering later. The company says the model’s rebuilt AI stack and new training techniques allow it to deliver performance comparable to larger midsize models at a fraction of the compute cost. The launch is a strategic move to regain momentum in a generative‑AI market now dominated by OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google’s Gemini. Meta hopes Muse Spark’s competitive performance in multimodal perception, reasoning, health, and agentic tasks will help close gaps with rivals, especially in long‑horizon agentic systems and coding workflows. The model will power Meta’s standalone AI app and website, and will roll out in the coming weeks across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Ray‑Ban Meta AI glasses, and eventually the Vibes video feature. New user modes—Instant for quick answers, Thinking for complex prompts, and a forthcoming Contemplating mode that leverages a squad of AI agents—aim to give developers and consumers flexible ways to interact with the technology. Meta is also stepping up its AI infrastructure spending, projecting $115‑$135 billion in AI‑related capex for 2026—nearly double the prior year—as it strives to keep pace with other hyperscalers. While the company continues to use AI to enhance its advertising business and internal efficiencies, it has yet to capture a significant share of the broader AI model market. Nonetheless, shares rose about 8 % after the announcement, reflecting investor optimism that Muse Spark could be a foothold for Meta in a sector expected to grow from roughly $22 billion in 2025 to $325 billion by 2033. Read more: undefined #meta #google #openai #musespark #llama4