Meta Platforms is reporting internal progress on a next-generation AI model known as Watermelon, with superintelligence chief Alexandr Wang stating at a town hall that the new model has caught up to OpenAI’s GPT-5.5, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Wang’s comment, made to employees during the meeting, described Watermelon as now comparable to a leading rival model. It is not clear which benchmarks Wang referenced when making the comparison, and the individuals who described the town hall did not specify performance metrics.
Meta’s efforts to close the gap follow a period in which the company has trailed other AI providers. Despite substantial investments - including spending billions of dollars on chips, data centers, and talent acquisition - the company’s public AI releases have not consistently matched competing offerings from firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
In April, Meta made available its Muse Spark model. Observers noted Muse Spark performed well on certain benchmark tests, but it was still generally regarded as falling short of the leading models in the field.
Leadership at Meta has prioritized accelerating AI development. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been personally involved in overseeing work on the company’s models, and last year he recruited Wang to run Meta’s AI division.
The company’s internal assessment that Watermelon has reached parity with GPT-5.5 signals a potentially significant step in Meta’s AI roadmap, but the absence of benchmark details leaves the claim without public verification. Until Meta or independent evaluators disclose specific metrics, the comparison cannot be independently confirmed.
Summary
Alexandr Wang told employees that Meta’s upcoming Watermelon model has matched OpenAI’s GPT-5.5, according to two people familiar with the town hall. The exact performance measures Wang used were not disclosed. Meta has previously lagged other AI providers despite major investments and released Muse Spark in April, which performed well on some benchmarks but remained behind peers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is directly overseeing AI development and hired Wang last year to lead the division.