Meta announced that it will start using people’s interactions with its AI products to decide which ads and posts appear on its platforms. The change will take effect on 16 December and users will begin receiving notifications from 7 October through in-app alerts and emails.
More than 1 billion people use Meta AI every month. The company said this update is about making feeds feel more relevant. That means conversations with AI assistants, whether text or voice, will be treated as another clue about what a person is interested in.
The process works much like likes, searches and follows do already. For example, someone who chats with Meta AI about hiking may later see hiking boots advertised, trail groups suggested, or friends’ posts about outdoor trips appearing more often.
What Does This Mean For Advertising?
Meta confirmed that interactions with AI tools will soon become part of the system used to target ads. That includes chatbots as well as voice-based tools. Talking to Meta AI about travel could lead to a rise in ads for flights, hotels or guides.
9to5Mac has compared the decision to Amazon’s recent announcement that its Alexa+ product will be monetised through advertising during chats. Both companies are finding ways to turn conversations with AI into personalised marketing streams.
The change will apply across connected accounts in the Meta Accounts Centre. If a WhatsApp account is not linked there, then conversations on WhatsApp will not affect recommendations across other Meta platforms.
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Can People Change What They See?
Meta said that people will keep control through Ads Preferences and feed controls. These tools will let users tune what they are shown, even once AI interactions are added into the mix.
The company said people can also choose whether they want to talk to AI using text or voice. For those who use voice, microphones only activate when a feature requires it and when permission has been granted. An indicator light will show when recording is live.
Meta also brought up that conversations about sensitive topics such as religion, sexuality, politics, health or union membership will not be used to target ads. This mirrors the current privacy limits already in place on its platforms.
When Will The Changes Take Effect?
Notifications explaining the update will be sent from 7 October on Facebook and Instagram, as well as through email. The new system itself begins on 16 December.
Meta said it is rolling the update out across most regions first, with plans to make it available everywhere later. People who want to learn more about how the data is handled can visit the Privacy Center or read the updated policy.
What Does This Say About Meta’s Use Of AI?
Meta said the purpose of the update is to make its apps feel more useful to people. AI interactions are being treated in the same way as likes, follow or searches, all of which already guide what appears in feeds.
The fact that more than 1 billion people use Meta AI every month gives the company a huge new pool of data to draw from. Advertising has long been influenced by personal activity and AI conversations now form part of that…
Whether people view this as helpful or intrusive will become clearer once the system goes live in December. What is certain is that AI chats will soon influence what millions of people see when they open Facebook, Instagram and other Meta platforms.
