Meta Pushes Back Release of Its Most Powerful AI Model
Meta has reportedly delayed the launch of its highly anticipated "Behemoth" AI model, which was originally scheduled for release in April 2025 to coincide with the company's first AI conference, LlamaCon[4]. After an initial postponement to June, the company has now further delayed the launch until fall 2025[4].
Concerns Over Improvement Benchmarks
According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, Meta engineers are concerned that the capabilities of the Behemoth large language model (LLM) don't represent a significant enough improvement over what's already available through
Llama 4, which was released in April[4]. The company had previously described Behemoth as "one of the smartest LLMs in the world and our most powerful yet to serve as a teacher for our new models."[4]
This uncertainty regarding the extent of enhancements compared to earlier versions has led to the postponement[3]. The parent company of Facebook had intended to unveil the updated edition of its language model in alignment with its developer-focused LlamaCon event[3].
Internal Dissatisfaction
The delay has reportedly created dissatisfaction within the Llama 4 development team and among high-ranking Meta officials[3]. Some executives are now contemplating potential changes in the management of Meta's AI product division as a result of these setbacks[3].
Meta's AI Ambitions and Market Position
This postponement hands competitors like
OpenAI and
Google an even greater head start in the rapidly evolving AI landscape[1]. Meta aims to position itself as one of the biggest AI providers and has already integrated AI capabilities across its apps including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger[4].
The company recently released a standalone app for
Meta AI at the end of April, which includes a hub for its Ray-Ban smart glasses[4]. These moves are part of Meta's broader AI strategy, supported by plans to increase its capital expenditures this year to a range of $64 billion to $72 billion specifically to enhance its AI capabilities[3].
Market Impact
Following the news of the delay, Meta's stock experienced a decline of approximately 2% on Thursday. However, the company's stock has seen an overall increase of 10% in 2025 thus far, indicating continued investor confidence in Meta's long-term strategy despite these temporary setbacks[3].
As the AI race intensifies among tech giants, Meta's decision to delay Behemoth until it meets internal quality standards demonstrates both the challenges of advancing AI technology and the high stakes involved in this competitive landscape.
