Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is considering launching a premium version of its artificial intelligence assistant service and plans to charge users for it. This move signifies Meta's further commercialization efforts in the field of artificial intelligence.

Reportedly, this advanced version of the AI assistant, called Meta AI, is an important tool developed by Meta to enhance its platform's functionality and user experience. Meanwhile, competitors in the industry such as Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic have been charging users a monthly subscription fee of $20 for similar services like chatbots, offering value-added services such as priority access in workplace applications.

Although Meta has not disclosed the specific features and potential pricing standards of the premium AI assistant, internal sources suggest that the plan is steadily progressing and may be adjusted based on market feedback and user demands.

It is worth mentioning that Meta is actively developing AI agents capable of autonomously completing tasks without human supervision. According to internal sources and informed employees, these agents include "engineering agents" for assisting coding and software development, as well as "commercial agents" for helping businesses advertise on Meta applications. These agents will not only be available for internal use but may also be opened to customers in the future.

In the competition within the AI field, Meta's competitors are also actively developing similar AI agents. Earlier this week, Meta announced the restructuring of its generative AI team, splitting the engineering department into developer-centric and consumer-centric organizations to better drive innovation and application of AI technology.

It is noteworthy that Meta has made significant investments in the field of artificial intelligence. The company has stated that it will allocate up to $40 billion in capital expenditures this year to support AI projects, with Meta AI being a strong response to OpenAI's ChatGPT. However, investors remain cautious about Meta's return on investment in the AI field. Unlike Google and Microsoft, Meta does not provide cloud computing services to other companies, which limits its ability to generate revenue through AI services to some extent.

Despite the challenges, Meta's commercialization efforts in the AI field continue. In recent months, senior executives of the company have hinted multiple times about plans to charge for certain AI services. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has stated that Meta may charge for more advanced features and larger computing capacity but emphasized that it is still in the early stages.

With the advancement of the Meta AI premium pricing plan, the company will charge users who utilize more complex versions of the assistant. This may require stronger computing power and could be achieved through a "consumer cloud" model. Consumer cloud typically refers to services that sell cloud-based software to consumers rather than other businesses, such as Dropbox.

Throughout Meta's 20-year development, the company has rarely charged users who use its platform and has seldom charged for additional services on applications. However, with increased market competition and regulatory pressure, Meta is gradually exploring new business models to increase revenue streams. Last year, Meta launched subscription services for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram in the European region and began offering identity verification services called Meta Verified for creators and businesses.

With the restructuring of the generative AI team and the commercialization efforts of the AI assistant, Meta is committed to translating its technological advantages in the AI field into business achievements. The market will further observe and validate whether Meta can achieve profit growth through services like the premium version of the AI assistant.