Meta May Delay ‘Avocado’ As Tech Underwhelms In Tests Against Google Gemini And Anthropic AI Models: Report

Meta Platforms, Inc.’s upcoming foundational AI model, code-named “Avocado,” has reportedly underperformed compared with systems from competitors during internal evaluations.

Meta’s ‘Avocado’ AI Model Reportedly Falls Short In Internal Tests

Internal tests showed “Avocado” is lagging behind newer models from companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Anthropic, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The model is designed to power future chatbots, coding assistants and other AI-driven products across Meta’s ecosystem.

Don’t Miss:

While Avocado performed better than Meta’s earlier AI systems and even surpassed an earlier version of Google’s Gemini model, it reportedly did not match the capabilities of the latest Gemini release.

Launch Delayed As Meta Explores Alternatives

Because of the performance gap, Meta has reportedly pushed Avocado’s launch back to at least May, from an earlier planned release this month.

Executives have also discussed the possibility of temporarily licensing technology from Google’s Gemini models to support some of Meta’s AI products, though no final decision has been made.

Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.

Trending: Own the Characters, Not Just the Content: Inside a Fast-Growing Pre-IPO IP Company

Zuckerberg’s Massive AI Bet

Zuckerberg has positioned AI as central to Meta’s future strategy. The company has spent billions hiring researchers and building infrastructure to support the technology.

In January 2026, Meta projected it could spend as much as $135 billion this year, nearly double the roughly $72 billion it spent last year, as it expands data centers and AI capabilities.

Meta is also developing additional models, including “Mango,” focused on image and video generation. Moreover, a future system is reportedly planned under the code name “Watermelon.”

Read Next: 

Photo: PJ McDonnell / Shutterstock

“ACTIVE INVESTORS’ SECRET WEAPON” Supercharge Your Stock Market Game with the #1 “news & everything else” trading tool: Benzinga Pro – Click here to start Your 14-Day Trial Now!

Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga:

This article Meta May Delay ‘Avocado’ As Tech Underwhelms In Tests Against Google Gemini And Anthropic AI Models: Report originally appeared on Benzinga.com

© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.