Meta to use AI chats to personalize content and ads

STORY: Meta Platforms on Wednesday announced another step toward personalizing user content — by tapping into people's conversations with its generative AI tools.Starting December 16, user interactions with the company's AI features will be added to existing data such as likes and follows to shape recommendations for ads and content, including on its Facebook and Instagram apps.For example, a user talking about hiking with Meta AI could later be shown hiking groups, friends’ trail updates or ads for boots.Users will be notified of the change starting October 7—and they will not have an option to opt out, though the update applies only to those who use Meta AI.Meta says it won’t use conversations about sensitive topics—like religion, health, or politics—for ad targeting.The move comes as other tech giants, including Google and Amazon, have begun monetizing AI tools, often through cloud-based services.But few have used AI chat interactions to personalize content and ads across multiple platforms at the scale Meta is attempting.The tech giant has 1 billion monthly active users across the company’s family of apps.

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