Meta is advancing its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy for businesses by introducing an internal productivity tool called Metamate, says a Financial Times report.
Built on Meta’s large language model, Llama, the tool is designed for tasks like coding, research, and drafting communications for internal and external use.
Prashant Ratanchandani, Meta’s Vice President of Engineering, stated that there are no plans to release Metamate for external use. He described the initiative as an effort to develop “the world’s best enterprise assistant” and gain insights into enterprise AI applications.
The move aligns with broader competition among tech companies like OpenAI and Google, which are working on AI-powered assistants to serve consumers and businesses. The market for AI agents, capable of performing complex tasks, is projected to grow from $5.1 billion to $47 billion by 2030, according to MarketsandMarkets.
Meta is exploring AI monetization opportunities through enterprise products. In October, the company appointed Clara Shih, former chief executive of AI at Salesforce, to lead its “Business AI” group. Shih aims to make AI accessible to businesses and monetize Meta’s Llama model through applications leveraging its open-source nature.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has integrated AI features across Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, targeting users, creators, and businesses. However, the Financial Times report notes that Metamate currently lacks features found in similar tools by Microsoft and Google, such as meeting participation, scheduling, and autonomous task execution.
Meta employees reportedly use Metamate for coding, accessing internal data, and preparing for client interactions. The company also uses other models internally, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Ratanchandani indicated plans to make Metamate more like an AI assistant but noted it was too early to evaluate its impact on productivity.
A recent Goldman Sachs report suggests widespread adoption of AI tools and productivity gains may not materialize until at least 2027. Oren Etzioni, a computer science professor at the University of Washington, commented that while internal testing is common, Meta may face challenges transitioning to a competitive enterprise AI vendor.
