Meta has launched Forum, an experimental standalone app dedicated to Facebook Groups and topic-based community discussions. Meta's experimental standalone app, Forum, separates Facebook Group conversations into a dedicated platform for text-based discussions, interest discovery, and advice sharing, featuring an AI "Ask" tool that surfaces answers and recommendations from real user post.
Existing Facebook Groups are integrated with the app, allowing posts, discussions and interactions created through Forum to remain connected to the corresponding groups on Facebook. The company began testing Forum in May 2026 and is gradually adding features aimed at helping users find relevant information and connect with communities.
ALSO READ: AI Is Great At Science But Not At Being A Scientist. This Professor Explains Why
For moderators, Meta is developing AI-powered tools intended to assist with content moderation and community management. The company's approach places Forum closer to discussion-focused platforms such as Reddit and Quora, while drawing on Facebook's large network of existing groups and user-generated conversations.
One of Forum's main features is Ask, an AI-powered tool that searches conversations across Facebook Groups and highlights relevant posts and comments to provide answers based on users' shared experiences. The feature can draw information from groups a person has joined as well as public groups they have not joined. It can also help users compare options, including products, gifts and books, and suggest follow-up questions based on previous searches.
Forum is also testing tools designed to support group administrators and recognise members who regularly contribute useful information. A “top community voice” role can be assigned by group administrators, while Meta may also nominate potential members. Users are notified if they receive the designation and can remove themselves from the role.
The platform is also experimenting with topic labels, including categories ike "food and travel", to help users discover relevant discussions and communities. Its onboarding process is intended to make interest-based discovery possible even for people who are not already members of particular groups.
Forum also supports the use of custom nicknames or semi-anonymous identities in some public discussions, while users' underlying identities remain visible to group administrators for moderation purposes.
ALSO READ: Chinese Hackers Posed As US AI Experts To Target Policy Researchers, Steal Emails
The community-voice feature is being tested on Forum in the US and on Facebook globally. The app itself remains an experimental product, and Meta has not announced a wider rollout timeline.
Meta said it will continue collecting user feedback and developing additional features, particularly for group administrators.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.