TLDRs;
- Meta AI’s daily active users jumped from 775,000 to 2.7 million within a month of launching the Vibes feed.
- App installs hit 300,000 per day, up from less than 200,000 previously, marking Meta AI’s highest growth yet.
- Similarweb data links the surge to the Vibes launch but cautions against assuming direct causation.
- Analysts warn retention and moderation could be the real tests of Meta’s long-term AI ambitions.
Meta AI’s mobile app has surged to new heights following the rollout of its “Vibes” video feed, a short-form, AI-generated video feature designed to rival TikTok-style content creation.
According to Similarweb data, Meta AI’s daily active users jumped from approximately 775,000 in late September to 2.7 million by October 17, a near fourfold increase in under a month.
App installations also hit 300,000 per day, up from fewer than 200,000 prior to the feature’s debut. Just a year ago, on October 17, 2024, Meta AI recorded a modest 4,000 daily downloads. The company’s recent spike marks one of the sharpest month-over-month growth trends in the generative AI sector.
While the correlation between the Vibes launch and the app’s surge in popularity is evident, Similarweb cautioned that causation cannot be definitively confirmed. Still, the timing aligns almost perfectly, suggesting that Meta’s strategy to fuse AI content creation with entertainment might be paying off.
AI Competition Heats Up
The rise of Meta AI comes at a time when other AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Grok, and Perplexity, have seen slight dips in daily active users. Data shows Meta AI’s global user base grew by 15.6%, positioning it as a new leader in AI-driven mobile engagement.
Some analysts point to heightened public curiosity around OpenAI’s invite-only Sora video generator, which has drawn widespread attention but remains unavailable to most users, as another factor behind the surge. Meta’s open-access approach with Vibes could be capturing that pent-up demand for creative, video-based AI experiences.
By integrating generative video creation directly into its existing ecosystem, Meta appears to be carving out a niche between entertainment and productivity, a blend few competitors have fully mastered.
Retention and Engagement Remain Open Questions
Despite the promising numbers, analysts warn that sustaining user engagement will be Meta AI’s next big challenge. Meta has not disclosed critical metrics such as retention rates, session duration, or uninstall ratios, key indicators of whether the app’s success is driven by curiosity or genuine long-term use.
For comparison, by 2025, ChatGPT retained about 66% of users after one month of use, while Gmail and Slack retained 75% and 69% respectively. Without similar transparency, it’s difficult to gauge whether Meta’s growth reflects a durable user base or a temporary hype cycle.
“Download spikes often tell only half the story,” said one industry analyst. “The real measure is whether users keep coming back once the novelty wears off.”
Moderation Challenges Loom Over AI Video Growth
Beyond engagement, Meta faces mounting content moderation challenges. As the Vibes feed floods the platform with AI-generated videos, questions about safety, misinformation, and compliance are surfacing.
Industry experts suggest that Meta, and other platforms entering the AI video race, must rapidly implement synthetic media detection and labeling systems to maintain user trust. Companies like Hive and Utopia AI Moderator are already developing real-time solutions that screen for AI-generated material across text, images, and video.
Analysts also anticipate more mergers and acquisitions in this field by 2025 as platforms adopt usage-based pricing models for AI moderation tools. Early pilot programs for hate-speech and deepfake detection have reported up to 95% accuracy, but scaling those solutions for platforms as large as Meta remains a massive technical hurdle.
The Bigger Picture
Meta’s explosive growth underscores a larger industry shift, one where AI-generated content is evolving from text and image to immersive video.
Vibes represents Meta’s clearest attempt yet to turn generative AI into a mainstream entertainment experience, merging creativity, social engagement, and machine intelligence into one app.
Still, the company’s next steps will determine whether this momentum translates into sustained dominance or a passing trend. The balance between innovation, safety, and user retention will shape not only Meta’s future in AI, but the future of how billions engage with synthetic media.
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