Can Meta’s New AI Features Be Turned Off?
By Movieguide® Contributor
In April, Meta rolled out new AI features across its social media platforms, and while many users prefer an AI-free experience, the company has made it impossible to fully turn off the tool.
“With Meta AI at your fingertips, you can research topics, explore interests, get how-to advice, and learn new hobbies,” Meta said about the new feature. “Leading search providers have been integrated so you can get up-to-date information from the web. Now, you can also ask Meta AI anything with search across our family of apps.”
While Meta poses AI integration as the future of its websites, many people are unhappy with Meta AI. After the feature was launched, Meta’s stock shares fell 15% as the market revealed its discontent with the feature.
Unfortunately, three months later, the company has stayed the course and continued to force its AI tools down users’ throats. While Facebook, Instagram and Threads all lack the ability to completely shut off the feature, they do offer settings that limit its reach.
The best option is to open the AI chat box within the given social media site and click the “i” on the screen. This will open an options menu where users can choose to “mute” Meta AI for a given amount of time. The longest option is choosing to mute “until I change it.”
While this greatly limits the reach of Meta AI, it does not scrub it completely from users’ experiences. Meta has made it a part of its search function, meaning an AI-generated summary will still appear after users search on the site. Meta AI will also continue to offer additional tidbits on newsfeed posts.
To the annoyance of many, it appears that Meta AI is here to stay. While users can limit the impact it has on their social media experience, it remains impossible to fully disable its reach.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Meta AI is the social media giant’s newest tool, and some users are unfamiliar with how it works.
The feature, which rolled out in over a dozen countries on April 18, aims to make tasks easier for users.
“With Meta AI at your fingertips, you can research topics, explore interests, get how-to advice, and learn new hobbies. Leading search providers have been integrated so you can get up-to-date information from the web. Now, you can also ask Meta AI anything with search across our family of apps,” the Meta AI website states.
USA Today shared the extent to which the AI feature is available.
“Meta AI can be accessed in the Facebook feed and on Instagram search, and Meta is rolling out beta testing in the U.S. on WhatsApp to create images from text in real time using the AI’s Imagine feature,” the source wrote.