New Instagram, Facebook feature: Meta AI system | CTV News
Meta Platforms Inc. has long been using artificial intelligence to help it serve users content and ads it thinks are most likely to interest them, but its new chatbot has thrust the company's use of the technology back into the spotlight.
The Meta AI chatbot embedded in the company's platforms — Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — can be used for searches and to answer questions. A promotional page shows you can ask it for recipes, to generate images or to put together lists of popular guitar songs to play.
Privacy Concerns and Data Usage
But it's also prompted some users to wonder how Meta's AI systems use their data and what, if anything, they can do to opt out of the new feature. Meta doesn't list every source that trains its AI models, but its privacy centre says it makes use of information that is publicly available online or licensed. It also says it uses information shared through its products and services, like posts, photos and their captions.
Meta's privacy centre says the company does not use private messages exchanged between users for training its AI systems. While Meta's AI systems make use of public information collected from the internet or licensed from other providers, it does not link this data to accounts.
Opting Out and Data Control
If I don't use Meta's social networks, could the company still train its AI systems on my data? "Even if you don’t use our products and services or have an account, we may still process information about you to develop and improve AI at Meta," the company's privacy centre says.
Meta has a form available in its privacy centre called "Data Subject Rights for Third Party Information Used for AI at Meta." Users can fill out the form and select "I want to delete any personal information from third parties used for building and improving AI at Meta."
Alanna Smith, a Toronto-based small business owner in the entertainment industry, filled out Meta's form in hopes of getting the company to not use her data for its AI systems.
Controlling Meta AI Features
Other than the opt-out form, is there anything Canadians can do to limit Meta's ability to use their data for training its AI? Brett Caraway, a media economics professor, said users can consider not using the platform altogether, but he realizes many people need the company's technology for their job or interpersonal communication. Rather than fulfilling the itch to get information on the platform right away, he recommends people step away from their devices and decide whether it really needs to be on the platform and whether they're prepared for the company to potentially use the information.
Meta AI Functionality and Control
No. Troya-Alvarez, the Meta spokesperson, said in an email to The Canadian Press that Meta AI cannot be disabled. "Meta AI aims to be a helpful assistant and is in the search bar to assist with your questions," he said. While you can't turn the feature off, you can mute it by tapping the blue Meta AI circle in your Facebook or Instagram search bar and then hitting the blue circle with an “i” inside it. From there, you will encounter a “mute” button letting you silence the chatbot.
Yes. Meta's privacy centre says it saves the messages you send it, the AI's responses and details about you so it can "carry on the conversation."
Data Access and Resetting AI
How can I see what information Meta has on me from chats I had with its Meta AI tool? Type in /saved-details in your Meta AI chat window or visit your account centre when logged into Instagram and Facebook. To download the information on WhatsApp, you can also type /download-all-ai-info into a chat with your AI. Type /reset-ai into individual chats you had with Meta AI in Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp. By doing this, Meta says you essentially reset the AI because the move deletes its copy of your messages and the previous context of the conversation.
Conclusion
Even platforms that aren't using AI models yet might be inclined to later, so it's wise to think about how they could use your information before posting on them. "Most of the social media platforms are incentivized to either pursue their own AI tools, if they can afford it, or to partner with a third-party AI developer," says Caraway.
