A recent report suggesting that Meta Platforms is exploring a potential partnership with Google Cloud to integrate its Gemini AI models into Meta’s digital advertising operations has stirred market interest—before being swiftly denied by Meta.
According to a report from The Information, Meta has held early-stage discussions with Google about utilizing its Gemini and open-source Gemma models to enhance ad targeting and overall ad performance. The collaboration, if finalized, could see Google’s models fine-tuned using Meta’s proprietary ad data.
Sources cited in the report claim Meta is actively evaluating external partnerships to bolster its in-house AI systems—despite its significant investment in AI research, infrastructure, and engineering talent. The reported talks come amid growing pressure to stay ahead in the increasingly competitive AI-driven advertising ecosystem, where companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are racing to leverage next-gen tools for personalized marketing.
However, the excitement around a possible alliance was short-lived. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone denied the claims in a post on Threads, stating, “No, what’s happening here is part of the work we regularly do to evaluate third-party tools for the purpose of benchmarking.” He added, “We have always built our own industry-leading, proprietary ad targeting and recommendation systems — that’s a separate thing.”
The conflicting signals highlight Meta’s current balancing act: on one hand, projecting AI leadership with in-house tools, and on the other, benchmarking external models to remain competitive. Analysts note that even exploratory discussions with rivals like Google point to the high stakes in the race to dominate the next wave of AI-powered advertising.
This is not Meta’s first brush with third-party AI providers. In August, The Information reported that Meta had been in contact with both Google and OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, to potentially integrate external models into tools like Meta AI chatbot and features across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Investor sentiment reflected the intrigue: Alphabet (GOOGL) shares saw a modest uptick in after-hours trading following the report, while Meta (META) shares remained largely flat.
As AI becomes the cornerstone of digital advertising, the battle lines between tech titans are blurring. Whether as competitors or cautious collaborators, companies like Meta and Google are navigating a fast-evolving landscape where innovation speed, personalization accuracy, and data leverage will determine leadership in the multi-billion-dollar ad market.
