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Meta has announced that what users talk about with its AI tools will soon shape the ads and content they see. Starting 16 December 2025, interactions with chatbots and virtual assistants will feed into Meta’s recommendation and advertising systems on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The company said users will get notifications before the change takes effect, with alerts beginning 7 October. Meta says this update will make its services more relevant. For instance, chatting about hiking with Meta AI could later result in ads for outdoor gear or suggest related groups and posts.
The rollout will be limited at first. Users in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and South Korea will not see the change initially while Meta navigates regulatory requirements. In other regions, the update will be applied automatically. Users cannot opt out unless they avoid using Meta’s AI features entirely.
Meta explained how the data will be used. Conversations from any Meta AI tool can influence content across the company’s apps. That means a question asked on Instagram could affect ads on Facebook or WhatsApp if the accounts are linked. Both text and voice interactions will be included, though encrypted conversations remain protected.
The company emphasized that sensitive topics such as religion, politics, health, sexual orientation, and union membership will not be used for advertising. Everyday interests and lifestyle topics, however, will now feed into ad targeting.
Privacy controls will remain limited. Users can still adjust general settings, but there will be no option specifically to block AI conversation data from being used in personalization. The only way to avoid this tracking is to stop using Meta AI tools entirely.
Meta said the move is part of its commitment to AI-powered personalization as a key part of its business model. While it may improve content relevance, the decision is expected to spark fresh debate over privacy and how far data-sharing across Meta’s services should go.