What to know about the hoax 'Goodbye Meta AI' posts going viral on Instagram
Recently, Instagram users have been sharing a copy-and-paste message in their stories regarding AI. If you've been active on Instagram in the past few days, you might have come across a post that starts with the phrase "Goodbye Meta AI." This post, commonly shared on Instagram stories, contains a black-and-white message cautioning about "legal consequences" and the utilization of artificial intelligence by Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Threads, and Facebook.
The message states, "If you do not post at least once, it will be assumed that you are okay with them using your information and photos." It further adds, "I do not give Meta or anyone else permission to use any of my personal data, profile information, or photos." Despite gaining widespread traction since early September, it has been clarified that the message is a hoax.
Fact-Check and Response
More recently, when users try to share this message on Instagram stories, it gets obscured by a warning indicating that the content includes "false information." Users are directed to a fact-check available on LeadStories.com, which debunks the authenticity of the message.
The fact-check highlights that posting such a statement does not guarantee the protection of user data from Meta's generative AI. While users in Europe have the option to object to the usage of their data for AI training through a form in their account settings, sharing the viral statement does not prohibit Meta from using the data for such purposes. The message is categorized as "copypasta," which comprises false information that is repeatedly copied and pasted online.
Meta's Generative AI
Meta defines generative AI as "a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content based on given instructions or queries." When Meta unveiled its generative AI features last year, the company elucidated the methods and rationale behind its utilization of data for AI initiatives.
According to Meta, data for AI training is sourced from users' public posts, their engagements with AI functionalities, and publicly available information from sources like databases and search engines. The company specifies, "We use public posts and comments on Facebook and Instagram to train generative AI models for these features and for the open-source community." It is emphasized that posts or comments with audiences beyond the public setting are not used for these purposes.
It is noted that information for generative AI is not extracted from user accounts set to private. Despite this, Meta opted not to respond to ABC News' request for comments.
