In a post on Meta's official blog, the company announced that it is rolling out new features for Meta AI, its cross-platform chatbot, available on Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp for iOS and Android in the U.S. and Canada. Users can now instruct Meta AI to "remember" personal details, such as their love for travel or learning new languages.
Similar to the memory features in OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, Meta AI can recall "important details" based on context. For example, if a user mentions they're vegan and later asks Meta AI for breakfast ideas, the chatbot will consider that dietary preference in its suggestions.
Meta clarified that the memory feature won't apply to group chats, and users can delete any memories at any time.
In another notable update, Meta AI will now use information from across Meta’s apps to provide personalized recommendations. This could include data like a user’s home location on Facebook or videos they've recently viewed on Instagram.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained the feature on Monday, sharing how Meta AI helped him create bedtime stories for his daughters, remembering their love for mermaids when he asked for a new story.
The personalized recommendations will initially be available on Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram in the U.S. and Canada. According to a Meta spokesperson, there will be no option to opt out of this feature.
While Meta is promoting these new abilities as positive, the company faces ongoing trust issues with users when it comes to privacy and data usage.