Meta is working on a major privacy shift that will use data from user interactions with its AI products to fuel targeted ads and personalized context across Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta platforms. The change will take effect from December 16, 2025, and will apply to most global users except those in the UK, EU, and South Korea, due to strict privacy rules.
How AI Chats Will Shape Ads
Conversations with Meta AI, whether text or voice, will soon be part of the company’s ad-targeting system. This data will be merged with existing signals like posts, likes, and follows to create more detailed user profiles. For example, chatting with Meta AI about hiking gear could result in ads for outdoor products and recommendations for related Facebook groups or Instagram accounts.
Meta says all AI-powered conversations across its platforms, including WhatsApp and Messenger, can influence ad delivery if the accounts are connected. However, sensitive categories such as religion, sexual orientation, political views, health, race, and union membership will not be used in ad targeting.
No Opt-Out for AI Users
Starting October 7, users will receive notifications about the new policy via in-app alerts and emails. There’s no opt-out for people who want to keep using Meta AI—opting out would mean avoiding AI features altogether. Encrypted conversations, like certain WhatsApp chats, remain unaffected by the change.
It’s important to keep in mind that Meta wants to automate advertising with AI. By 2026, the company wants to offer fully AI-driven campaigns where the system creates the ad content, picks the audience, and manages spending.
