Google and Meta race to build personal AI agents as Anthropic and OpenAI pull further ahead
May 6, 2026
May 6, 2026
Google and Meta are both testing personal AI agents designed to handle everyday tasks on their own. The push is a direct response to the lead built by Anthropic, OpenAI, and Microsoft. Google has shut down a previous agent project to make it happen.
Google is testing a new personal AI agent codenamed “Remy,” according to Business Insider. The tool runs inside an employee version of the Gemini app and connects to other Google services. Internally, Remy is described as a 24/7 personal agent for work, school, and daily life that can answer questions and complete tasks on its own. The agent is designed to proactively monitor relevant activity and learn user preferences over time. Google declined to comment.
Google needs an answer to OpenClaw
Google still doesn’t have a widely available, autonomous agent product. Remy is meant to change that. The concept is similar to OpenClaw, the agent framework that went viral earlier this year. OpenAI hired OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberg in February.
At the same time, Google has shut down Project Mariner, its previous showcase in the agent space. The Mariner website states that the experimental browser agent was discontinued on May 4, 2026, with its technology folded into Gemini Agent. Reports indicate that employees had already been pulled off the Mariner team to work on a response to OpenClaw. Google’s I/O event is coming up this month, and agents are expected to be a major focus.
Meta builds “Hatch” and a shopping agent
Meta is also working on its own OpenClaw competitor. According to The Information, the company is developing an agent called “Hatch” along with an agentic shopping tool for Instagram. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pushing for products that can deliver returns on Meta’s massive AI investments.
Hatch is set for internal testing by the end of June. Meta has built sandboxed web environments where the agent trains on simulations of real websites like DoorDash, Etsy, and Reddit. So far, Hatch has been powered by Anthropic’s Claude models, but Meta plans to switch to its own Muse Spark model at launch.
The shopping tool is slated for integration into Instagram before the fourth quarter. Users will be able to tap on a product in a Reel, learn more about it, and complete the purchase without leaving the platform. The move is aimed squarely at competing with TikTok Shop.
Meta builds in-house after two failed acquisitions
Hatch is partly a fallback plan. Meta previously tried to hire OpenClaw’s Steinberg but lost out to OpenAI. And the company’s December acquisition of Chinese AI agent Manus has to be unwound on orders from China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
Zuckerberg has nonetheless made agents a top priority. During the most recent earnings call, he said Meta’s goal is to build agents that understand users’ goals and then work around the clock to help achieve them. The company raised its AI infrastructure spending for this year to as much as $145 billion.
Anthropic and OpenAI are still setting the pace
While Google and Meta are still in internal testing, others are further along. Anthropic already has two agent products on the market with Claude Code and Claude Cowork. OpenAI is building on OpenClaw creator Steinberg’s work alongside its coding agent Codex and an upcoming “super app.” Microsoft, meanwhile, has tapped Anthropic’s technology for Copilot Cowork.
The browser agent wave, meanwhile, has faded. Google’s Mariner is gone, and OpenAI’s Atlas remains a niche product. The market is shifting toward integrated personal agents that live inside email, calendars, office tools, and shopping platforms. That’s exactly where Remy and Hatch are trying to land.
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