Welcome to Black Mirror live, ladies and gentlemen. The main character is you – yes, you! If you’ve ever used Meta’s AI features, you may now see a whole new level of ads – featuring yourself. Yup, Meta now tests using artificial intelligence to create personalized ads by transforming users’ selfies into AI-generated images. These images are then displayed as sponsored posts on Instagram and Facebook, targeting those who provided the original photos.
In September 2024, Meta expanded its fun and quirky AI feature named “Imagine Me”. “We’re expanding Meta AI’s Imagine features, so you can now imagine yourself as a superhero or anything else right in feed, Stories and your Facebook profile pictures,” the company’s blog reads. “You can then easily share your AI-generated images so your friends can see, react to or mimic them. Meta AI can also suggest captions for your Stories on Facebook and Instagram.” But apparently, Meta suggests more than just captions.
We’re testing new Meta AI-generated content in your Facebook and Instagram feeds, so you may see images from Meta AI created just for you (based on your interests or current trends),” Meta writes in the same blog post. “You can tap a suggested prompt to take that content in a new direction or swipe to Imagine new content in real time.”
A Reddit user shared their experience, writing, “Used Meta AI to edit a selfie, now Instagram is using my face on ads targeted at me.” This has led to discussions about the ethical implications of using personal images for targeted advertising without clear user consent.
A few users also pointed out potential issues for those suffering from mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. “Unmedicated schizophrenics have [smartphones] and social media too. Imagine all of them seeing their faces in ads on their phones. It would look like a zombie apocalypse,” one user wrote. Another added that, as a “bipolar and thoroughly medicated” person, it would freak them out as well, setting off “a lot of paranoia and anxiety.” And even if you’re perfectly mentally healthy, I think this is disturbing as hell.
How to opt out?
Speaking with CNET, Meta shared that “these images can only be generated for users who have onboarded to Meta’s Imagine yourself feature.” This means you added your photos to that feature, and of course, accepting the feature’s terms. You haven’t read them before clicking “I accept,” have you?
To opt out, you can tap the three dots on the top-right corner of the suggested post, select “Hide,” and you’ll stop seeing similar posts, the spokesperson explains. Then, you can select “Stop seeing this content,” and you’ll no longer see suggested AI images of yourself. Note that no one said Meta won’t use your photos further. Lovely.
Using personal data to create AI-generated content for targeted advertising raises questions about user autonomy and the extent of consent in the digital age. Have we finally given away too much to Meta? When should we say “enough is enough?” As AI continues integrating into social media platforms, it may be time to review and adjust our privacy settings regularly. Staying informed about how our personal data is used can help maintain control over our digital presence and mitigate potential privacy concerns. Or maybe it’s time to delete Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms and go touch some grass?
[via CNET; lead image AI-generated using DALL-E]
