Meta Platforms announced that beginning December 16, the company will start using users’ interactions with its generative AI tools to personalize both content and advertising across its major apps, including Facebook and Instagram.
The change — which will roll out globally except in the UK, the European Union, and South Korea — will apply to anyone who uses Meta AI, the company’s generative chatbot available via text or voice. Starting October 7, Meta will notify users of the update. However, there will be no option to opt out of this data integration.
AI INTERACTIONS TO SHAPE RECOMMENDATIONS
Meta said that user conversations with its AI — whether discussing travel, sports, or hobbies — will become an additional data signal alongside likes, follows, and other activity to help refine content recommendations and ad targeting.
For example, a user chatting with Meta AI about hiking might later see hiking-related groups, friends’ outdoor posts, or ads for hiking gear.
“People’s interactions simply are going to be another piece of the input that will inform the personalization of feeds and ads,” said Christy Harris, Meta’s privacy policy manager.
The company clarified that AI interactions involving sensitive topics — such as religion, sexuality, health, political affiliation, or ethnicity — will not be used for advertising purposes.
A MASSIVE PERSONALIZATION PUSH
The update is part of Meta’s broader strategy to make its AI ecosystem deeply integrated across all its apps. According to the company, Meta AI now has over 1 billion monthly active users, marking one of the fastest-growing AI deployments worldwide.
At the company’s annual shareholder meeting, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the goal for 2025 is to make Meta AI the leading personal assistant, emphasizing personalization, natural voice interactions, and entertainment.
The integration comes amid a new phase of AI monetization among tech giants. Both Google and Amazon are already leveraging AI to boost cloud revenues, but Meta’s move is unique for its cross-platform scale and its decision to blend AI chat data with social and ad algorithms.
By combining behavioral, conversational, and contextual signals, Meta aims to offer advertisers more effective targeting while keeping users more engaged through hyper-personalized recommendations.
