Meta Acquires Moltbook’s 1.6M AI Agents, Rolls Out Four Custom Chips and WhatsApp Managed Accounts
Meta acquired Moltbook, a social network hosted by 1.6 million active AI agents managed by 17,000 humans, to accelerate its agentic AI strategy. It also unveiled four custom data-center AI chips to reduce reliance on third parties and introduced parent-managed WhatsApp accounts for children to enhance platform safety.
1. Acquisition of Moltbook
Meta acquired Moltbook for an undisclosed price, bringing onboard founders Matt Schlicht and Benn Parr to integrate a "social network for AI agents" into Meta’s platforms. Moltbook launched in January and reportedly hosted 1.6 million verified AI agents, though a security review indicated only about 17,000 human users managed them.
2. Custom AI Chips Launch
Meta unveiled four custom AI chips designed for its data centers, aiming to boost performance and lower costs versus external providers. The chips are expected to support Meta’s AI initiatives across Facebook, Instagram and other services, enabling more efficient training and inference workloads.
3. WhatsApp Parent-Managed Accounts
WhatsApp introduced parent-managed accounts, allowing parents to oversee contact lists and privacy settings for under-18 users. The feature aims to enhance safety and compliance, potentially increasing adoption among families cautious about children’s messaging security.