Meta is rolling out a significant update to its AI chatbot in July 2026, adding productivity features designed to help it compete with rivals including Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude.
The updated Meta AI can now access your calendar to help plan events, generate daily schedule summaries, and perform in-depth research that users can redirect while it is in progress — similar to a feature available in ChatGPT. Meta says the assistant can also browse Facebook Marketplace for items matching a user’s budget, search for restaurants, and handle recurring tasks like weekly meal plans or product restock alerts without needing to be re-prompted each time.
Meta is powering the update with its newly released Muse Spark 1.1 model. In a blog post, the company described the update as its “next step toward personal superintelligence,” a phrase CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously used to describe his vision for AI. The assistant is also described as better at pulling information from across the web and compiling it into reports, presentations, or plans.
The update marks a strategic shift for Meta. Chief Product Officer Chris Cox told employees last year that the company intended to focus Meta AI on “entertainment” and “connection with friends” rather than productivity — a direct contrast to the direction OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic were pursuing. The new update reverses that position.
The updated assistant began rolling out on July 24, 2026, in “select markets” through the Meta AI app and on the web. Meta says it will expand availability to more countries and additional platforms, including WhatsApp, “in the coming weeks.”
For users already relying on tools like Gemini or ChatGPT for calendar management and research tasks, the update positions Meta AI as a more direct alternative within Meta’s existing ecosystem of apps.
Source: The Verge