Meta pushes back AI model 'Avocado' launch to May
Technology
Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has delayed its new artificial intelligence, or AI, model, Avocado, from March to May.
The reason? Internal tests showed Avocado wasn't keeping up with rivals like Google's Gemini 3.0, which puts some pressure on Meta as it tries to compete with other tech giants in the AI race.
Meanwhile, Meta is also looking to license Google's Gemini model
With Avocado lagging, Meta is now considering licensing Google's Gemini model while also working on another project called Watermelon.
The Avocado team, led by Alexandr Wang at TBD Lab, has faced some internal disagreements and even lost a few researchers along the way.
Still, Mark Zuckerberg says he sees long-term potential in these models, even if they aren't industry leaders just yet.