Meta Preps Paid AI Agent 'Hatch' for Launch, Plans New Model 'Watermelon' for October

Meta Platforms is preparing to launch a paid consumer AI agent called Hatch in the coming weeks, alongside a new AI model named Watermelon expected in October, according to internal documents reviewed by The Information.

Hatch is described as a consumer-facing version of Meta's internal OpenClaw agent project. The move is part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's push to generate direct revenue from Meta's AI investments rather than relying solely on advertising income. According to the report, Meta is considering a tiered subscription structure, with a premium tier potentially priced as high as $199.99 per month. Pricing for lower tiers has not been disclosed.

Hatch is designed to connect with third-party services including DoorDash, Etsy, Reddit, Yelp, and Outlook. The agent will reportedly feature a customizable dashboard supporting modules such as a fitness tracker and a trip planner, positioning it as a general-purpose personal assistant rather than a narrow chatbot.

Separately, Meta plans to release a new model called Watermelon in October. It remains unclear, according to the report, whether Watermelon will be folded into Meta's existing Muse model family or released as a standalone model. No technical specifications — including parameter count, context window, training cutoff, or benchmark scores — have been disclosed. Meta has not publicly confirmed the model's existence or capabilities.

Meta is also reportedly building a platform within WhatsApp that would allow third-party AI agents to plug into the messaging app, expanding the potential distribution surface for Hatch and other agents beyond Meta's own apps.

The information in this report originates from internal Meta documents obtained by The Information, not from an official Meta announcement. Meta has not confirmed pricing, launch timing, or technical details for either Hatch or Watermelon on the record.

What this means

This is a leak-based report, not a product launch — key facts like final pricing, Watermelon's architecture, and exact release dates remain unconfirmed and could change before anything ships. The $199.99/month figure, if accurate, would place Hatch well above existing AI subscription tiers from OpenAI and Anthropic, signaling Meta may be targeting power users or enterprise-adjacent consumers rather than mass-market adoption. The bigger signal is strategic: Meta is trying to build a monetizable agent layer on top of its LLMs, tying model capability directly to consumer-facing products that access real-world services like DoorDash and Yelp. Whether Watermelon is a new foundation model or a variant of Muse will matter significantly for how Meta's model lineup is understood — a standalone release would suggest a broader architecture shift, while a Muse variant would suggest incremental scaling of an existing line.