Meta delays its next AI model Avocado after internal tests show it can't keep up with Google and OpenAI

Meta has reportedly delayed its next AI model, codenamed "Avocado." Originally set for mid-March 2026, it won't ship until May at the earliest, reports the New York Times, citing three people familiar with the matter.

In internal tests, Avocado fell short of leading models from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic in logical reasoning, programming, and writing. It beat Meta's previous model and Google's Gemini 2.5 but couldn't match Gemini 3.0. Meta's leadership even discussed temporarily licensing Gemini, though no decision was made. A next-gen model codenamed "Watermelon" is already planned. Meta is also building an image and video generator codenamed "Mango."

Meta says updates are coming "very soon," with more models planned this year. The company found early success with its open Llama models but lost momentum with Llama 4. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has since poured billions into AI, including $14.3 billion in Scale AI. Scale AI's CEO Alexandr Wang now runs Meta's frontier AI division, "TBD Lab," tasked with building superintelligent AI systems. Reports also suggest Meta may be moving away from its open-source strategy.