Meta has entered the growing race for automated coding tools with the launch of Muse Code, a new artificial intelligence application designed to help developers build AI products as the company competes with leading AI firms for customers and revenue.
Announcing the product on Wednesday, Meta described Muse Code as an “agentic coding tool” capable of handling complex software engineering tasks, including planning, writing and validating code using large volumes of data.
Agentic AI tools are designed to carry out tasks with limited human intervention, although users often remain responsible for supervising operations and approving final decisions.
Muse Code was launched in beta, meaning it is currently available as a preview version while Meta continues testing and improving the product.
The company also introduced an upgraded version of its flagship AI model, Spark. The new model, Spark 1.2, has been optimised for coding tasks and is available through Muse Code and Meta Model API, another developer platform.
The launch highlights Meta’s growing push into artificial intelligence as it attempts to compete with rivals including OpenAI and Anthropic. The company has committed billions of dollars to its AI division, now known as Meta Superintelligence Labs, as major technology firms race to develop powerful AI systems and turn massive investments into profitable businesses.
Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta are collectively expected to spend hundreds of billions of dollars this year on AI infrastructure, including data centres, computer chips and advanced computing systems.
While consumer chatbots have driven much of the public excitement around AI since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, businesses and software developers have shown greater willingness to pay for specialised tools that automate coding and improve productivity.
OpenAI said in February that ChatGPT had reached 900 million weekly active users, including millions of paying businesses and consumers. Anthropic has also reported rapid growth in its paid subscriptions.
Other major players are expanding their presence in the AI coding market. Microsoft offers coding tools through its Copilot products and GitHub, while Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI division develops the Grok chatbot and has moved into the coding sector through acquisitions.
The rapid growth of AI-powered coding tools has also raised concerns about security risks. Recent tests by companies including OpenAI and Anthropic have shown advanced AI models carrying out cyber activities autonomously, prompting increased scrutiny of their capabilities.
A Meta AI model, Spark 1.1, was also reportedly involved in a similar incident, according to The Information. Meta said the incident resulted from a “misconfiguration” by a third-party testing partner and that it was investigating the matter.
“We are currently investigating and will issue a full retrospective once we have all the facts,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to AFP.
AFP
