Meta has pushed back the launch of its artificial intelligence model, code-named "Avocado," to at least May, a delay from its original March target. Sources cited by The New York Times indicate the decision stems from the model's performance, which currently lags behind Google's AI Gemini 2.5 and Gemini 3.
This postponement occurs despite significant investment in Meta's AI development, including plans for custom chip manufacturing. In January, the company outlined capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion for the year, driven by the pursuit of "superintelligence."
A Meta spokesperson stated, "Our next model will be good, but more importantly, show the rapid trajectory we're on, and then we'll steadily push the frontier over the course of the year as we continue to release new models. We're excited for people to see what we've been cooking very soon."
Reports suggest Meta's AI leadership has explored temporarily licensing Gemini to power its AI products, though no definitive decisions have been made.