Users' interactions with Meta's digital assistant and other generative AI-powered products will eventually determine what advertisements and other material the business displays to them.

The recommendation system upgrade was revealed by the social media behemoth on Wednesday, and it will take effect on December 16. Notifications of the change will be sent to users beginning on October 7.

The action demonstrates Meta's efforts to better integrate its billion-dollar generative AI investments with its primary internet advertising business. During its second-quarter earnings report in July, Meta stated that the AI projects will "result in a 2026 year-over-year expense growth rate that is above the 2025 expense growth." The company had spent the summer on a massive hiring and spending spree for AI.

Through its Meta AI digital assistant, which is integrated into major programs including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, the corporation currently offers consumers generative AI capabilities. Additionally, Meta AI is offered as a standalone website and application.

Like OpenAI's ChatGPT, users can engage with Meta AI by asking it to make graphics or give directions in response to cues. The firm led by Mark Zuckerberg also reported that over 1 billion people use the Meta AI digital assistant each month, although that number isn't unique to the Meta AI standalone app.

Once Meta AI reaches 1 billion monthly active users, Zuckerberg stated in May that "there will be opportunities to either insert paid recommendations" or provide "a subscription service so that people can pay to use more compute."

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During a media conference, Christy Harris, the manager of meta privacy and data policy, stated that users already believed the Facebook parent company was integrating generative AI interactions with content suggestion and ad targeting.

"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," Harris said.

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Harris gave an example of how the modification would affect the types of advertisements and content users see on Facebook, Instagram, and other applications related to Meta.

For example, the kind of Reels short films that people may be suggested to watch on Facebook may be influenced by the comments they receive from Meta AI when they converse with the digital assistant about how to organize their family vacations.

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According to Harris, unless users connect their WhatsApp accounts to other sibling applications like Instagram, the suggestion update would not consider user interactions with Meta AI through WhatsApp. Harris stated that if people do not engage with Meta AI, the "update won't apply to them," but they will not be able to choose not to participate in the impending recommendation engine overhaul. The suggestion update will be released to users in the UK and the EU "following our usual regulatory updates," according to Harris.