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Meta Plans to Sell Targeted Ads Based on Data in Your AI Chats

Meta revealed on Wednesday that it plans to sell targeted ads based on data in your AI chats, marking a major shift in its ad strategy. The new approach will use insights from user interactions with Meta’s AI products to enhance ad targeting across platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

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The company will update its privacy policy by December 16 to reflect this change and notify users in the coming days. This update will apply globally, except in South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, where privacy laws restrict such data collection.

How Meta Will Use AI Chat Data for Ads

Meta’s ad business has always relied on building detailed user profiles. Traditionally, it collected data from social media activity to target specific demographics. Now, by analyzing AI chat interactions, Meta can gain deeper insights into users’ interests, habits, and preferences.

For instance, a user who frequently chats with Meta AI about hiking could start seeing ads for outdoor gear. The AI data adds another layer of personalization, allowing advertisers to reach audiences with greater precision.

Meta AI: A New Data Stream

Meta AI already engages with over a billion users each month, generating rich conversation data. Previously, these AI products were largely free, but the insights they provide now allow Meta to refine its ad offerings. This change reflects a broader strategy to integrate AI-driven data into advertising, beyond just the AI chatbot.

Meta spokesperson Emil Vazquez emphasized that this privacy update will extend to other AI features across the company, not just Meta AI, creating a wider scope for ad targeting.

What This Means for Users

Users should be aware that their AI interactions may now influence the ads they see. While the data could improve ad relevance, it also raises privacy concerns. Users in regions with stricter privacy laws, such as the EU, UK, and South Korea, will remain exempt from this practice.