Meta announces new flagship "Muse Spark" — pivots away from Llama toward a closed model
On April 8, 2026, Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) announced a new model, “Muse Spark.” It is the first major model released since the reorganization of Meta’s AI division, but what’s drawing the most attention is that, unlike the previous Llama series, it is a closed, proprietary model offered only through an API preview to select partners.
Details
- Technical features: A natively multimodal reasoning model incorporating tool use, visual chain of thought, and multi-agent coordination
- Efficiency claims: Meta says it achieves Llama 4 Maverick-class performance using an order of magnitude less compute, attributing the gain to an overhauled training stack
- Availability: Offered via meta.ai as well as a closed API preview for a select group of partners; no open-weight release has been made
- Relationship to Llama: The official announcement itself references Llama, comparing performance against Llama 4 Maverick, so the Llama series itself has not been discontinued — but at least the next flagship model was released under the Muse brand rather than Llama
- Background: Multiple media outlets had reported that, on top of Llama 4’s underwhelming market reception, concerns that competitors like DeepSeek had drawn on Llama’s architecture had led Meta to internally consider a shift toward a closed approach
What happened next
Meta has continued rolling out models in the Muse line (such as Muse Image and Muse Video) since then, while outlets including Axios have reported that its next-generation models, “Avocado” and “Mango,” may eventually see open-weight releases as well. As of July 2026, Meta has not officially stated whether a new flagship under the Llama brand will appear in the future.