Meta Launches New 'Pocket' App with AI-Powered 'Gizmos'

Meta has introduced a mobile app named Pocket, which bears no resemblance to the defunct Mozilla read-it-later service of the same name. Instead, it is a new AI-focused platform that allows users to build and share small interactive 'gizmos' generated from AI prompts.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been pushing AI as a new form of social media, and Pocket appears to be a concrete realization of that idea. According to Business Insider, the company hired engineers from Atma Sciences Inc., the developer of an app called Gizmo. Meta secured a non-exclusive license to use the company's technology, and screenshots suggest Pocket is very similar to Gizmo.

Google Play's description states that users can scroll through a feed of gizmos from around the world. These gizmos respond to touch and phone tilt, play sound effects and favorite songs, use the camera or pull in photos, and some can even reason about the world. On its support page, Meta describes a gizmo as a 'playable AI-generated experience' and allows creators to let others remix them.

However, the app is not yet available in the US. Two Verge staffers in the US saw a note on Google Play saying the app is not available in their country, and it cannot be found on the US App Store. Meta's help center notes that the app is 'not yet available everywhere.' The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.