How to Disable Meta AI on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp
Generative AI is an exciting, powerful and controversial new technology, and if Mark Zuckerberg is anything to go by, it’s not going away anytime soon. If you use any of Meta’s mobile apps, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp, you’ve probably already noticed the new Meta AI integration recently built into them. It’s all part of a new version of Meta AI’s latest big language model, Llama 3. But while Llama 3 is more powerful than previous versions, these new buttons and tooltips make it harder than ever to ignore.
Let’s say you’re not yet confident in AI and want to continue searching and scrolling the old-fashioned way. Can you disable the new Meta AI integration and how will you do it?
What is Meta AI?
First, know your enemy. Meta’s AI Assistant has actually been around since September 2023 , but the most recent update brings it right into search boxes and sometimes even into app feeds, including Facebook and Instagram. The integration varies slightly from app to app, but in general, clicking on the search field (or sometimes the chat button) in the meta app now displays an iridescent rainbow circle with a prompt next to it: “Ask Meta AI anything.” “
If you take advantage of Meta’s offer, you can get hints for writing Meta AI answers or creating images, which are classic AI assistant features. The app will even give you some tips, and with Llama 3, it can now also generate GIFs and return real-time search results from Google or Bing.
The problem with these features is that they are mixed in with non-AI features, so distinguishing them from each other can be a little difficult. Here’s how to disable Meta AI, or if you can’t, at least ignore it.
How to disable Meta AI on Facebook
The Facebook app has one of the most notable Meta AI integrations. Opening the app and clicking the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner will still take you to the search bar, but will now display the Meta AI logo, sample tips on what to ask Meta AI, and a short command to “Ask Meta AI.” And I do whatever.
Do not panic. Your regular search function is still there. Search for a friend’s name, a specific event, or even “New York Yankees fans” and you’ll get the same results you always get. The difference is that in addition to these results, you will now also receive suggested AI search queries, indicated by the Meta AI logo to the left of them (instead of non-AI suggestions having a magnifying glass displayed next to them). Clicking on a response with the Meta AI logo will take you from the search to a chat window with Meta AI, where you can interact with it as you would with any chatbot, or return to the search by clicking the “X” button in the top left corner. corner. Pressing Enter without clicking any of the search options will also continue searching as normal.
Likewise, scrolling through your feed may also prompt you to use Meta AI, either through a generic card inserted between posts or through a small footer at the bottom of some posts prompting you to use the AI to tell you more about the topic of that post.
Since AI is so integrated into the typical experience of using an app, it makes sense that some users would be reluctant to interrupt it.
Unfortunately, there is currently no easy way to disable it. Facebook’s support page offers no such solutions, and Meta AI’s question on how to disable it provides conflicting answers, none of which worked in our testing.
However, this does not mean that there is no hope. Luckily, all Meta AI integrations are now marked with the Meta AI logo, so if you don’t see it, you know your content is coming from a real person (or at least a more old-fashioned bot). Additionally, when you’re in a chat with Meta AI, you can long press on a response to like, delete, pin, or copy it. Group owners can also prevent Meta AI from pinning their posts by going to their group, clicking on the three dots in the top right corner, clicking “Add Features,” scrolling to Meta AI, and clicking “Delete” in the settings tab next to it. to “Help participants obtain information.”
How to disable Meta AI on Instagram
Instagram’s Meta AI integration is simpler than Facebook’s, as it only appears when you click on the search bar and works much the same as its sister app. Its search suggestions will be mixed in with more traditional ones and marked with an iridescent Meta AI logo, while non-AI search suggestions will instead have a magnifying glass next to them. Clicking on a Meta AI suggestion will open a chat—essentially the same chat log from Facebook or any other meta app—where you can rate or delete its responses.
Unfortunately, there’s also no option to strictly disable Meta AI, which can be doubly frustrating since I’m probably more likely to search for “how to peel an onion” or “how to cut an avocado” here than on Facebook itself. Just pay attention to the icon next to the suggested searches and you can now avoid the AI.
How to disable Meta AI in Messenger and WhatsApp
Messenger and WhatsApp have the easiest Meta AI integration – here the chatbot is essentially treated as another person in your contacts. Clicking on the conversation with him will open a chatbot that will again remember all the questions that you might have asked him in any other applications owned by Meta.
Other than that, the only other integration is a small icon in the bottom center or top right corner of the screen, depending on your app. Clicking the icon will also open your conversation with Meta AI, which is important if you delete your chat.
That’s right, there is actually a way to “remove” Meta AI from these applications. Simply delete your conversation with him like you would any other, and he will disappear from your contact list. A small icon will remain elsewhere in the app’s UI, presumably to give you the option to start a new conversation if you accidentally delete yours, but other than that, the AI presence here is completely unobtrusive.