TL;DR
Meta AI DMs are rolling out to all Threads users globally. You can chat privately with the AI. In five test countries, Meta AI posts in public feeds but cannot be blocked, only muted.
Meta is rolling out Meta AI to Threads direct messages globally starting today. All users can now share posts, images, links, and videos with Meta AI in a one-on-one conversation, ask follow-up questions, and explore topics privately. The feature mirrors what already exists on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta said the move responds to community feedback from users who wanted AI context without sharing conversations publicly.
The more contentious piece remains unresolved. Meta began testing Meta AI in Threads’ public feed in May, initially in Argentina, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. In those markets, Meta AI posts its own content and can be tagged using @meta.ai. Users cannot block the account. They can click “not interested” or mute replies, but the AI’s posts continue to appear in the feed. Meta’s smart glasses are already the subject of a privacy crisis over camera-based surveillance, and embedding an AI account that cannot be blocked into a social feed raises a different but related question: at what point does a feature become a presence that users cannot opt out of?
The DM rollout is the less controversial half. Private AI chat is opt-in by definition, nobody is forced to message Meta AI. The feed presence is the opposite: AI-generated content appears alongside human posts whether users want it or not, and the controls available are limited to reducing its visibility rather than removing it. Meta recently added alerts that notify parents when teens discuss self-harm with Meta AI, acknowledging that the AI’s presence in messaging creates safety responsibilities that a text-only social feed did not have.
Threads has been Meta’s fastest-growing app since its 2023 launch. Adding Meta AI to DMs extends the company’s strategy of putting its AI assistant into every surface where users spend time. The question is whether an AI you can message but cannot block from your feed feels like a feature or an imposition. Meta is betting on feature. The inability to block suggests it is not interested in finding out.
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Ana Maria Constantin
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