If you use Instagram, WhatsApp, or Facebook, you have probably seen a new character appear in your feeds, offering informational nuggets or eagerly responding to search queries, with varying degrees of accuracy.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, Meta AI is “the most intelligent AI assistant that you can freely use,” and it is here to help.
In an instant, the chatbot can search for flights on airlines, suggest nearby eateries, provide more details on something you see on Facebook, or quickly create images. You can ask it to suggest cocktail bars, for example, by typing @MetaAI into your group conversation when you are chatting with friends to arrange a night out.
Meta’s AI tool has been integrated into chat boxes and search bars throughout the tech giant’s platforms. The assistant appears, for example, at the top of your chat list on Messenger. It can be asked questions about anything and asked to “imagine” or create an image or animation.
As with any new technology, there are, of course, hiccups, including bizarre exchanges when the chatbots first started engaging with real people. One joined a Facebook moms’ group to talk about its gifted child. Another tried to give away nonexistent items to confused members of a Buy Nothing forum.
Meta AI hasn’t been universally welcomed. Here are some tips if you want to avoid using it:
CAN I TURN IT OFF?
Some Facebook users don’t like the chatbot, complaining in online forums that they’re tired of having AI foisted on them all the time or that they just want to stick with what they know. So what if you don’t want Meta AI butting in every time you search for something or scroll through your social feeds? Well, you might need a time machine. Meta and other tech companies are in an AI arms race, churning out new language models and persuading — some might say pressuring — the public to use them.
The bad news is there’s no one button to turn off Meta AI on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp. However, there are some shoddy workarounds if you want to limit it.
MUTE… IN A WAY
On the Facebook mobile app, tap the “search” button. You may get a prompt to “Ask Meta AI anything.” Tap the blue triangle on the right, then the blue circle with an “i” inside it. Here, you’ll see a “mute” button, with options to silence the chatbot for 15 minutes or longer, or “Until I change it.” This is also possible on Instagram.
However, muting does not entirely eliminate Meta AI. Where the search magnifying glass used to be, Meta AI’s circle logo may still be visible. Tapping on it will direct you to the Meta AI field. This is the new search method in Meta, and the results will be generated by AI, similar to Google’s AI summaries.
I enquired about Facebook searching without getting Meta AI results from the chatbot.
It answered, “Meta AI is in the search bar to help with your questions and aims to be a helpful assistant.” Then it said, “You can tap the search button after writing your query and search as you normally would, but you can not disable it from this experience.”
I then spoke with a (human) Meta representative.
The representative said in a statement, “You can search as you normally would and choose to engage with a variety of results — ones from Meta AI or others that appear as you type.” “And because of our search partnerships, you can access real-time information while interacting with Meta AI without ever leaving the app you are using.”
Similar to an overzealous personal assistant, Meta AI also appears beneath posts on your Facebook news feed, providing additional details about the topic of the post, such as the news article’s subject. You will just have to put up with this feature as it cannot be disabled.
USE THE ANCIENT FACEBOOK
Using Facebook’s mobile version, mabic.facebook.com, is one reliable method to avoid the AI assistant, according to tech websites. People in developing nations with outdated phones and sluggish internet connections are the target audience. Although it appears even worse on desktop browsers and has a more outdated aesthetic than the current version, the basic version of the website still functions basic functions without the use of artificial intelligence.
A different country
Only the United States and thirteen other countries—Australia, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—have access to Meta AI as of yet. You will not be able to use the chatbot if you do not reside in any of those areas, so you should not be concerned about it. Not yet, anyway.
