Meta is building Hatch, an AI agent that can act for you
Meta is reportedly developing Hatch, an AI agent that could complete tasks for users across Instagram, WhatsApp and other services.
An AI that actually gets things done could soon live inside your favourite apps. Meta is reportedly preparing to launch a consumer AI agent platform called Hatch in the coming weeks.
While the company has not announced full details, multiple reports based on internal documents suggest that Hatch is being designed to perform tasks on a user’s behalf rather than answer questions.
From answering questions to taking action
An AI agent can understand a goal, decide what needs to happen next and carry out actions across services with a user’s permission.
That could mean comparing products, booking a table, following up on a delivery or checking your calendar and email before summarising what needs attention. Unlike a traditional chatbot, an agent is designed to take the next step instead of leaving the user to do it.
Reports indicate that Hatch is being developed as a consumer platform that could work across Meta’s family of apps, with an initial release expected in the coming weeks.
Hatch could bring AI agents into Meta’s apps
Meta is also reportedly developing an agentic shopping experience for Instagram that could help users discover and buy products through conversational guidance.
Separate reports have pointed to early concepts for a WhatsApp experience where users could connect with and chat to other AI agents. Together, these efforts suggest Meta is exploring how agents could operate within services people already use to communicate, shop and interact with businesses.
Pricing remains unconfirmed. One report said Meta has explored a premium subscription costing up to $200 per month for higher usage tiers, but this should be treated as tentative until the company announces its plans.
Apart from that, Mark's firm is also working on an upcoming Meta AI model, codenamed Watermelon, with an October timeframe according to sources.
The real test will be trust
Based on the reporting, Hatch would likely work as a conversational assistant inside apps such as Instagram and WhatsApp. Users could describe what they want done, approve the data or accounts the agent can access and let it coordinate the necessary steps.
The potential is significant. Shopping, scheduling, customer support and simple research could become faster if an AI can complete tasks rather than simply provide instructions. But giving AI the ability to act also creates new questions.
Users will need to know what information an agent can access, what it stores and how permissions are managed. Businesses will also need safeguards against unintended orders, messages or other actions, along with clear records of what an agent has done.
What to watch next
The first Hatch rollout could clarify how far Meta wants to take its agent ambitions. The key details to watch will be availability, pricing, permissions and developer integrations.
Hatch will also need to fit alongside Meta AI, which has already gained more agent-like capabilities such as working with Gmail and Google Calendar.