Meta’s latest app wants you to forget about Reddit and embrace the AI

If you need proof that social media companies are out of ideas, just see Meta’s recent track record. After launching another app for sharing ephemeral photos, the company is now testing an app that’s basically a relaunch of an idea it killed almost a decade ago.

Forum is Meta’s new app

Meta’s new standalone app is called Forum and is now available on iOS in select countries, including the US and the UK. The app basically takes the Facebook Groups experience and adds a dedicated AI chatbot to it, along with part of the Facebook feed.Described in its listing as “a dedicated space for the conversations that matter most to you,” the app features a feed with posts from the groups you already participate in. Alongside these posts, you also get posts from other communities you’re not part of, giving the app an experience very similar to Reddit.

You also get AI features

Of course, there’s an AI chatbot, which is located in the “Ask” tab of the app. Once you get there, you can get AI-generated responses based on posts from various Facebook groups. That feature feels like Google’s AI overview results based on Reddit content.There are also AI features aimed at group moderators, who can get administrative help. The chatbot could give an overview of a group’s activity and ideas about content to keep the community active.

Connected to Facebook

To use Forum, users need an existing Facebook account. Similar to the main app, Forum allows users to post with anonymized usernames in public groups, though the admins of these groups can see the real identity behind such posters.

Unsurprisingly, everything a user does in a group through Forum syncs with the main Facebook app, and vice versa.

A comeback

Back in 2014, the company then called Facebook launched a separate Groups app, which didn’t survive very long. Early in 2017, the company discontinued it, sending its users back to the main Facebook app.Meta is on a streak of quiet app launches. Recently, the company tested and then officially released Instants, which is also a new Instagram feature. In a statement sent to The Verge, a Meta spokesperson said the new launch is part of public tests to “see what people find interesting and useful to their experiences across our apps.”

Not such a bad idea

The days when Facebook was considered a cool place to spend your time online are long gone, but the platform is still the home of some vibrant communities. Several very useful groups are the main reason I still use Facebook, so I can definitely see Forum turning into a useful tool for many users.

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