Meta Bets on Personal Data
Mark Zuckerberg says Meta will begin shipping new AI models and products within months, setting up a major public rollout in 2026. The focus is clear: smarter, agent-driven tools that can shop, decide, and act for users. For Meta, this is about turning AI into a daily utility.
Speaking on Meta’s latest earnings call, Zuckerberg said 2025 was spent “rebuilding the foundations” of the company’s AI program. Now, he says, the output will reach users soon. Among the biggest priorities is AI-powered commerce.
“New agentic shopping tools will allow people to find just the right set of products from the businesses in our catalog,” Zuckerberg told investors.
The move puts Meta in direct competition with Google and OpenAI, both of which already support agent-enabled purchases through partners like Stripe and Uber.
Why is Meta betting on agentic commerce?
Agentic AI goes beyond chat. It can search, compare, decide, and complete tasks. In shopping, that means finding products, filtering options, and even completing purchases.
Zuckerberg believes Meta has an edge. Not because of models alone, but because of data.
“We’re starting to see the promise of AI that understands our personal context, including our history, our interests, our content and our relationships,” he said.
Meta’s platforms already hold years of user behavior across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The company argues that this context will help agents deliver “uniquely personal” experiences.
That vision gained weight in December, when Meta acquired Manus, a general-purpose AI agent platform. Meta said it would continue selling Manus while integrating its technology across products.
How much is Meta spending on AI?
The ambition comes with a price.
Meta now expects capital spending between $115 billion and $135 billion in 2026, up from $72 billion in 2025. In filings, the company tied this jump to “Meta Superintelligence Labs” and core business needs.
The figure is massive, though still below reports that Zuckerberg has floated up to $600 billion in infrastructure spending through 2028.
Investors have questioned how these costs will translate into profit. This time, Zuckerberg offered a clearer direction: AI that directly touches commerce, discovery, and daily actions.
What changes for users?
If Meta delivers, AI agents inside its apps could soon:
- Suggest products based on personal history
- Compare options across brands
- Handle end-to-end shopping tasks
Zuckerberg closed with a promise: “This is going to be a big year for delivering personal superintelligence.”
For Meta, 2026 is not about demos. It is about making AI act.
