The owner of Facebook and Instagram, Meta is fully invested in the AI business model and is adding new things. Starting December 16th, META will begin personalizing ads and content recommendations based on how Facebook and Instagram account owners interact with the company's AI. These recommendations include Facebook posts, Instagram reels, and of course, ads based on your perceived interests.
Meta said it will begin notifying customers of updates on October 7th. The update will occur in the US and “most regions,” according to the company.
The company said that interaction with AI features through voice or text exchange helps social media platforms improve recommendations, so users are “highly likely to see content they are actually interested in, and fewer content they don't.”
Don't miss out on unbiased technical content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET As a preferred Google source.
Examples of notifications people see from October 7th, 2025.
You can control the content and ads displayed via Meta ad preferences and feed controls. An indicator light will appear saying that the way you interact with the AI is selected and the microphone is in use. Consumers must grant permission to use the microphone.
Meta said ads and content personalization based on AI interactions is merely an extension of the company's long-standing practices.
“My interactions with Facebook and Instagram content have long shaped what appears in my feed,” Meta said. “Like other personalized services, we coordinate the ads and content that are displayed based on activity, ensuring that experiences evolve as interests change. Many people expect interactions to become more relevant.”
What customers see
Imagine someone asking meta AI questions about snowboarding. They may then start looking at ads related to snowboarding, Instagram reels, or Facebook posts.
Meta said AI interactions will only be used to personalize ads and content across platforms added to the Account Center. Therefore, if WhatsApp (another meta product) is not in your account center, AI-Personalized ads or content will not be displayed.
Security concerns
When it comes to AI, there are always questions about privacy, security and data misuse. Earlier this summer, Meta changed the AI chatbot after a Reuters report discovered that the bots could engage in “sensual” chats with minors. Actor and director Joseph Gordon Levitt called the meta AI chatbot danger for kids earlier this week.
A Meta spokesperson told CNET that the company has safeguards for its new personalization features.
“We have a robust internal privacy review process that helps to ensure that products that include generated AI are using data responsibly in the meta,” the spokesman said. “We are working to identify potential privacy risks, including the collection, use or sharing of personal information, and develop ways to reduce those risks to people's privacy.”
