Meta will soon draw on user interactions with Meta AI and other AI features to decide what content, ads and recommendations users see and receive across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, including posts and reels.

The update will work across a range of AI features, including voice chat and text messaging.

Meta said on Thursday that the move will help to improve the content shown to users across all platforms, so that users are more likely to see personalised content that truly interests them.

Meta provided an example of a user chatting with Meta AI about hiking.

With the update, the chat will be used to show the user recommendations for hiking groups, posts from friends about trails, or advertisements for hiking boots, just as if they had posted a reel about hiking or liked a page related to hiking.

Meta added that when people converse with Meta AI about topics such as their religious beliefs, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs or trade union membership, these topics will not be used to show them ads.

Users will receive in-product notifications and emails informing them of the update starting on 7 October, before it takes effect on 16 December.

A range of feed controls, including ad preferences, will remain available to users to adjust the content and ads they see, Meta said.

In addition, Meta said users can choose how they interact with AI, using voice or text.

If voice is used, an indicator light will appear to show that the microphone is in use. Meta has stated that it will not use users' microphones unless they have given their consent and are actively using a feature that requires the microphone.

Meta AI currently counts a billion users according to data from the company.

Meta said that user interactions with content on Facebook and Instagram have long influenced what users see in their feeds, with many people expecting their own interactions to make their content feed more personalised.

“Soon, interactions with AIs will be another signal we use to improve people’s experience,” Meta said.

The tech giant is currently facing US-based legal challenges together with Google and Apple, after a federal judge in California ruled that they must stand trial for allegedly promoting “illegal gambling” through casino-style apps that are addictive to users.

The lawsuits, which were filed from 2021 onwards by multiple plaintiffs, centres on the companies' “improper processing of payments” for simulated gambling apps, which they allege cause addiction and mental health issues such as depression and suicidal thoughts by promoting “an authentic Las Vegas-style slot machine gaming experience”.

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