Meta Launches Pocket to Bring 'Vibe-Coding' to U.S. Users
AI-generated image · US National Wire
The new AI-powered app allows users to generate and share interactive games via prompts, signaling a shift toward low-friction, social-style creation.
Meta is expanding the rollout of Pocket, an experimental gaming application that allows users in the U.S. to build small, interactive games through AI prompts, as TechCrunch first reported. The app was previously tested in Brazil and is the result of Meta's acqui-hire of the team behind the vibe-coded gaming platform Gizmo.
These AI-generated experiences, which Meta refers to as “gizmos,” are designed for a scrollable feed. They feature sound effects, music clips, and the ability to integrate photos from a user's camera roll or access the device's camera. The experiences react to the tilt of the smartphone and user touch. Once published to a profile, other users can repost, save, or remix the creations.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg told analysts during July's earnings call that AI-enabled software development has accelerated the company's ability to test and ship new ideas. Zuckerberg noted that Meta plans to build more ideas and utilize recommendation systems to scale them, citing the recent launches of the Seller app (a stand-alone Marketplace app), Forum (a stand-alone Groups app), and Instagram Instants.
Pocket is part of a broader push by Meta to mainstream AI-creation tools, joining other experimental efforts such as the Vibes app for AI video and the Meta AI app for image generation. Following the release of Pocket, Meta is closing the original Gizmo application it acquired from Atma Sciences.