Consumers are picking up the AI “Vibes” Meta is putting down

Meta didn’t get the kindest reception when it unveiled its AI-powered Vibes feed last month. One reporter even called the feed an “infinite slop machine,” but recent findings suggest that the initial assessment of Meta’s Vibes may have been a bit unfair. Citing data from SimilarWeb, TechCrunch reported that download numbers for the Meta AI app have shot upward since the late-September launch of the Vibes feed.

On a fundamental level, the Vibes feed is Meta’s answer to YouTube’s Dream Screen. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp initially positioned its AI video repository as a creative aid that lets users “bring your ideas to life with new AI visual creation tools or remix an existing video by adding music or changing the style to make it your own.”

These days, there’s a lot of cultural consternation related to generative AI, so initial resistance to the Vibes feed was to be expected. What happened next was more surprising: In just four weeks, the number of daily active users across the iOS and Android versions of the Meta AI app went from 775,000 to 2.7 million (as of October 17). Daily app installs rose to 300,000 after sitting below 200,000 in previous weeks.

Meta isn’t the only tech giant finding success at the intersection of generative AI and creative prompts. Sora soared to the top of the app charts after OpenAI equipped its video generator with a TikTok-style feed. Meanwhile, on YouTube Shorts, AI slop channels are dominating the charts; that trend may be influencing users on Meta platforms as they seek out AI-powered inspiration.

Even with those examples in mind, the perceived popularity of the Vibes feed is still somewhat unexpected. As Meta AI app downloads spike, Meta is cutting 600 jobs in its artificial intelligence division, citing a need for a more efficient workforce. Amid cutbacks, users are signalling their continued interest in AI development by flocking to the Vibes feed.

Meta is attempting to clean up the slop from its feeds, and the rise of the Vibes feed may make that process more difficult. At the same time, Mark Zuckerberg’s team can’t ignore the returns of its investment in AI. A year ago, the Meta AI app was hovering around 4,000 daily downloads. Now, that number is much, much higher — and the app has become a whole-ass vibe.