How To Turn Off Meta AI (Facebook, Instagram & WhatsApp)
Meta’s recent announcement to make its generative AI model, Llama, available to U.S. government agencies, including those working on defense and national security, has raised several privacy concerns. While Meta’s Llama models are open-source and accessible to many, this move contradicts the company’s previous stance against military usage of its AI tools. As a result, some users of Meta’s popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp worry their data could be linked to national security projects.
Meta AI is Meta’s artificial intelligence assistant integrated across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. It’s designed to enhance user experiences by providing real-time responses, generating images from text prompts, and answering questions. Powered by Meta’s Llama 3 large language model, Meta AI tailors interactions to be more personalized and context-aware. It’s not limited to just apps either—it extends to hardware like Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and Quest VR headsets, offering voice-activated assistance and other smart features.
Meta’s decision to make its Llama AI models available to U.S. government agencies, including those involved in defense and national security, has raised several concerns among users. This move has led many to question the ethical implications, privacy risks, transparency issues, and potential security threats associated with the integration of Meta AI across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Meta AI is deeply woven into services like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This integration means data collected across these platforms may feed into AI models that are now shared with government agencies. While Meta claims it seeks to advance AI responsibly, users are left wondering if their data might be used in ways they never signed up for—especially in areas related to national security. This lack of clear, upfront consent for potentially sensitive use leaves a sour taste for those concerned about how their personal data is handled.
As Meta expands the reach of its AI models, users are finding it harder to know exactly how their data is being used and by whom. The sharing of AI tools with government entities adds another layer of complexity, making it difficult for individuals to understand or control where their data ends up. Meta’s stated goal is to lead in AI development, but for users who value privacy and transparency, disabling AI features can be a way to regain some control over their information.
How to Disable Meta AI Features
Meta doesn’t offer a simple “turn-off Meta AI” button. Instead, users can only disable or limit certain AI features on Meta’s platforms. However, users in the European Union and the UK, protected by the GDPR, have more straightforward options to opt out of AI data scraping and limit Meta’s AI training with their data.
For users in the U.S. and beyond, the best way to turn off Meta AI is to disable the AI features across Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Meta has introduced AI-generated comment summaries on Facebook to help users quickly grasp the essence of discussions on posts with numerous comments. You can disable this feature through your Facebook settings:
- Select your Account profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen.
- In the drop-down menu, choose “Settings & Privacy”, and then pick “Settings”.
- On the left side, scroll down to “Audience and Visibility” and select “Posts”.
- On the right, turn off the toggle for comment summaries on your posts.
If you’d like to stop using or seeing Ask Meta AI, you can easily disable it through your settings:
1. Go to the Search Bar and click on the blue arrow. This will take you to Meta AI’s chat box.
