By Echo Wang
(Reuters) -Meta Platforms said on Wednesday it would begin using people’s interactions with its generative AI tools to personalize content and advertising across its apps such as Facebook and Instagram starting on December 16.
Users will be notified of the changes from October 7 and they will not have an option to opt out, the social media giant said, though the update applies only to those who use Meta AI.
Meta said users’ interactions with its AI features, whether by voice or text, would be added to existing data such as likes and follows to shape recommendations for content and ads, including Reels and ads. For example, a user talking about hiking with Meta AI could later be shown hiking groups, friends’ trail updates or ads for boots.
“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, privacy policy manager at Meta. “We’re still in the process of building the first offerings that will make use of this data.”
When people have conversations with Meta AI about more sensitive topics such as their religious views, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, Meta will not use those topics to show them ads, it said.
The rollout will begin in most regions on December 16 and expand over time, excluding the UK, the European Union and South Korea.
Meta AI now has 1 billion monthly active users across the company’s family of apps.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the company’s annual shareholder meeting this year that the “focus for this year is deepening the experience and making Meta AI the leading personal AI with an emphasis on personalization, voice conversations and entertainment.”
Meta launched its first consumer-ready smart glasses with a built-in display at its annual Connect conference last month.
The company’s use of AI interactions for ads comes as other tech giants, including Google and Amazon, have begun monetizing AI tools, often through cloud-based services. But few have used AI chat interactions to personalize content and advertising across multiple platforms at the scale Meta is attempting.
(Reporting by Echo Wang in New York; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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