Meta Platforms is preparing for a major expansion into personal artificial intelligence agents, a technology CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes will become ubiquitous within half a decade. Speaking during the company's second-quarter 2026 earnings call on July 29, Zuckerberg stated his expectation that "billions of people" will soon have a personal agent capable of understanding their goals and working on their behalf to improve various aspects of their lives, including finances, health, and relationships. This vision positions AI agents as the next major computing platform, with Meta's existing messaging applications, such as WhatsApp and Messenger, intended to serve as the primary interface for users to interact with these agents.
The company is already implementing AI agents for businesses, with over one million businesses reportedly using the service weekly to engage with customers or finalize sales. Zuckerberg indicated that Meta's messaging platforms are expected to become increasingly important as more people interact with multiple AI agents. WhatsApp, in particular, is already the main platform for Meta AI interactions. The company plans to introduce paid subscription tiers for these services, with pricing for business agent conversations on WhatsApp set to begin on August 1, 2026.
This strategic focus on AI agents is occurring against a backdrop of significant financial pressures for Meta. In the second quarter of 2026, the company's free cash flow fell by 91% to $784 million. The Reality Labs division, responsible for virtual and augmented reality products, reported an additional loss of $4.6 billion, bringing its cumulative losses since 2021 to approximately $88 billion. These financial results contributed to a nearly 10% drop in Meta's stock price following the earnings announcement.
Meta's substantial investments in AI infrastructure are a key driver of its increased expenses. The company reported total expenses of $42 billion for the quarter, a 55% increase year-over-year. This includes $2.4 billion in charges related to legal proceedings and $1.2 billion in severance expenses from layoffs in May 2026. To support its AI development, Meta announced a partnership with BlackRock to develop a 1-gigawatt data center in El Paso, Texas. The company has also raised its full-year capital expenditure forecast, now anticipating spending between $130 billion and $145 billion.
Zuckerberg acknowledged the scale of these investments, stating, "I get that this is a big investment and a big bet." He expressed confidence that those who invest in this direction will be rewarded over time. The company's financial guidance for the third quarter of 2026 projects revenue between $61 billion and $64 billion, indicating an anticipated year-over-year growth of approximately 20% to 26%.
Meta is not alone in pursuing AI agents. Companies such as Google and Anthropic are also developing similar technologies, with Google integrating agents into its search functionalities. The race to establish dominance in the AI agent market is a key focus for major technology firms, as control over these personal assistants could represent a significant position of influence.