Meta is going all in on AI – so much so that it is now foisting AI on app users.
If you've been on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp sometime in the past week, you very likely have noticed that the search bars on all of those platforms look different now. Meta has integrated Meta AI into these search bars, effectively turning every one of its platforms' search features into an AI chatbot.
That's right: all the search bars on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are now powered by Meta AI.
Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users can now ask these platforms anything within the search bar, and Meta AI, which is powered by Meta's new Llama 3 open-source large language model (LLM), will answer those questions.
But, what if you don't want to do that? If a user is on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, it's because they want to use the features that those apps are known for. If one wanted to use an AI chatbot, it seems like they'd go to ChatGPT, or a standalone Meta AI platform, or really any of the seemingly endless number of AI chatbots popping up almost daily now.
How to turn off Meta AI
You can't turn off Meta AI.
Sorry. We're not trying to create clickbait here, but we know people are looking for ways to turn this feature off, and we're trying not to waste anyone's time. You simply cannot turn off Meta AI.
If you hate Meta AI that much, the only option that lets you actually remove it from your life as of this moment is to delete your Facebook or Instagram account.
"Meta AI aims to be a helpful assistant and is in the search bar to assist with your questions," Meta said in a statement. "You can’t disable it from this experience, but you can search how you normally would engage with a variety of results."
Meta AI has reportedly told users when asked about turning it off that there are ways to do so. But Meta AI is wrong. Remember, AI chatbots can't really think in the ways people have come to assume from watching movies about self-aware AI. Instead, this is simply a language model intent on pleasing the user by providing them with the information it thinks they are most likely hoping for — sometimes even if that information is incorrect.
However, as Meta explained, users can still utilize the search functions on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp as they previously have done. Mashable has tried it out. Searching for profiles, users, posts, and more continues to work as is – no AI required.
In the event that Meta does decide to provide an option to turn off Meta AI, we will update this piece to provide you the step-by-step process to do so. But, until then, Meta AI is here to stay.
But, while the little Meta AI logo in the search bar may be annoying and instances of AI suggestions may turn up at times, users can for the most part just ignore the AI and use Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp search the way they always have.
