Meta Platforms, Inc. can’t wait to get its new advertising strategy rolling. To inform these personalization efforts, they’ll draw on users’ interactions with their new digital assistant, Meta AI. This most recent update will allow the company to better serve personalized advertisements and content. It will build off personalized chats with the AI through Facebook, Instagram, and other connected apps. Our new recommendation system goes live on 12/16/23. Users should begin to see advance notifications of this change starting on October 7, 2023.
This major move in Meta’s ad strategy is a precursor to using generative artificial intelligence to help advertisers better get to the bottom of what users want. As Christy Harris, privacy and data policy manager at the tech giant noted, that’s a key consideration. She said that while the use of AI in ad targeting has been long anticipated, the company’s goal is to be upfront with its users.
“While this is a natural progression of our personalization efforts and will help give us even better recommendations for people, we want to be super transparent about it and provide a heads up before we actually begin using this data in a new way, even if people already thought that we were doing this,” – Christy Harris
Meta’s announcement comes on the heels of a notable summer for the company, characterized by a major hiring initiative and increased investments in artificial intelligence. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced in May that Meta AI reached over 1 billion monthly active users. Such impressive organic growth speaks to the company’s strong momentum in terms of its strategy to thread AI technology throughout its various platforms.
Engagements
Harris went into more detail on what these AI interactions might look like in a user experience. For instance, she explained that activities such as typing or using voice commands would inform the kinds of ads and content users might encounter.
“So whether you’re using your keyboard to type your interactions or you are using the audio version of an interaction, those signals will still be used,” – Christy Harris
She related one telling example. Users may be served with suggestions for family-friendly travel destinations or targeted hotel advertisements as a result of their discussions with Meta AI.
“So the Reels that I see on my Facebook feed or other types of content that is recommended to me could include family friendly travel destinations,” – Christy Harris
“It could include ads for hotels or other signals that would be informed by the conversation that I have had with Meta AI,” – Christy Harris
This updated strategy aligns well with Meta’s larger mission about how generative AI fits into their plans. These initiatives will continue to innovate and expand through 2026. In its second-quarter earnings report released in July, Meta outlined some thrilling possibilities for the future. These initiatives will push expense growth above where we were just predicting for 2025.
Ideas described by Zuckerberg include some promising prospects for public engagement. In addition to targeted advertising, users might be able to opt into paid recommendations or subscription services that enhance their computing power.
“There will be opportunities to either insert paid recommendations,” – Mark Zuckerberg
Meta shared news of the recommendation system update on a Wednesday. This shift is a testament to their dedication to combining technology with user engagement in innovative new ways. Sir Nick Clegg discussed topics at the crossroads of technology and government. He suggested we go one step further and start an ongoing discussion of how technology can and should inform user experiences.