Tech giant Meta announced on Wednesday that it will start using data from user interactions with its AI chatbot and other AI products to provide hyper-targeted ads across its social media platforms.
The announcement comes on the heels of ongoing debate around privacy concerns related to AI chatbots, and the new Meta plan can make major changes to users’ Facebook and Instagram feeds.
The move will take effect from December 16 and is seen as a significant evolution in Meta’s advertising strategy.
Interestingly, Meta has decided not to roll out this feature in countries with strict privacy rules like South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
What does Meta’s new move mean for your feed?
Facebook and Instagram users should expect a drastic change in their social media feeds after the new policy kicks in, as conversations users have with Meta’s AI products will be analyzed to tailor the ads and recommended content they see.
It means whether through text or voice via chatbots or AI-powered devices like Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, Meta will be analyzing your interests and will show you ads accordingly.
For example, if a user discusses hiking with the AI chatbot, they may start seeing advertisements for hiking gear or content related to outdoor activities on their Facebook or Instagram feeds.
Christy Harris, Meta’s privacy and data policy manager, outlined the new policy and said that the interactions with Meta’s AI will be seamlessly integrated into the existing personalisation framework, enhancing recommendations on posts, Reels, and other content formats.
Meta is banking on billions of active monthly users engaging in long, serious interactions with its AI products, generating rich behavioral signals for the company’s ad targeting system.
To further refine the ad targeting, Meta is also mulling over incorporating data from other AI tools, such as its AI image generator “Imagine” and AI video feed “Vibes.”
Sensitive data excluded, but concerns remain
Despite the increased data usage, Meta has assured users that sensitive topics like religion, sexual orientation, political opinions, health issues, ethnicity, philosophical beliefs, or union membership will not be used for targeted advertising purposes.
The tech giant also clarified that the users interacting with Meta’s AI on WhatsApp will only have their data used for ads if their WhatsApp account is linked to Facebook or Instagram.
Despite the company’s confident outlook on the optimal and correct use of sensitive data, Meta is expected to face criticism over no opt-out option for using AI interaction data in personalized ads; the only way to avoid it is by not using Meta’s AI products.
This development comes amid wider trends in the tech industry to monetize AI services. Other companies like OpenAI and Google have introduced AI-based tools integrated with advertising and shopping functionalities.
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