How to Turn Off or Limit Meta AI on Facebook and Messenger

Does this match what you see?

• You don’t want people using Meta AI to summarize or edit things in your chat.
• Meta AI summaries appear under your Page’s posts.
• You don’t want your information used to improve Meta’s AI.
• You’re not sure what Meta AI can read in your chats.

iPhone & iPadAndroidComputer (browser)

Based on Messenger Help “How to manage message sharing permissions”, “Ask Meta AI on Messenger” and Facebook Help “Turn Meta AI comment summaries on or off for posts on your Facebook Page” (supplied by the site owner). Message permission steps are the same on iPhone, iPad, Android and computer. The objection rules come from Meta’s “Information about objections and how you can object on Meta Products” help page (supplied by the site owner). Not legal advice.

Why this happens: the possible causes

Which control to use. Our own summary of Meta’s pages.

• Someone used @Meta AI in a chatCheck this first

  Meta says Meta AI reads and replies to content shared with it, including messages that mention @Meta AI.

• Comment summaries are on by defaultCheck this first

  Meta says Meta AI comment summaries are turned on by default for Pages.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

Object to Meta using your information for its AI

Meta says that if you don’t want your information used to develop and improve Meta’s generative AI models, you can submit an objection to Meta (external site, opens in a new tab).

Our note: this is a request to Meta. It doesn’t remove Meta AI from your apps.

Who can object, and how Meta decides

Our note: Meta’s objections help page covers objections in general. It doesn’t mention the AI objection form above, so we’re assuming the same rules apply to it.

Meta’s help page about objections says that under the GDPR, if you’re in the EU or the UK, you have the right to object at any time when Meta processes your information on the basis of legitimate interests (its own or a third party’s) or a task in the public interest. The page doesn’t say how this applies outside the EU and UK. Our note: if you’re elsewhere and the AI objection link above opens for you, you can try sending it, but we haven’t seen Meta say what happens to requests from outside the EU and UK.

• Be specific. Meta says an objection is about a specific purpose (its example is measurement and analytics). It says an objection to “everything Meta processes about me” may be denied, and that it may ask for the purpose and your reasons relating to your own situation.
• Other ways to object: Meta says you can object through its Privacy Rights Request channel: choose the product, then How can I object to the use of my information. For direct marketing, use the unsubscribe link in Meta’s marketing messages.
• What Meta weighs: Meta says it usually needs to understand your reason for objecting (for example, how the processing affects you), and that it considers several factors, including your reasonable expectations and the benefits and risks to you, Meta, other users or third parties, against its legitimate interests (or a third party’s).
• If it’s successful: Meta says it will stop processing your personal information for the specific purpose you objected to. Meta says that if your objection is successful you also have a right to ask for your information to be erased (under Article 17(1)(c) of the GDPR), and that you need to ask when you submit the objection, in the objection form’s free text field. Our note: Meta’s page doesn’t say whether the AI objection form has this field, so check before you submit.
• If it’s denied: Meta says objections to direct marketing can’t be denied. Others may be, for example if Meta has compelling legitimate grounds (an overriding interest) to continue, the processing is needed for legal reasons such as court orders, Meta relies on another valid legal basis (its example is contractual necessity to provide you with Meta Products), there isn’t enough information to assess it, the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive (for example, the same objection sent several times after Meta has already responded), or Meta can’t confirm the information relates to you (for example, an email address not linked to your account). Meta says it will tell you the outcome and, if it’s denied, the reason.
• It isn’t a deletion request. Meta says an objection isn’t the same as deleting your information or withdrawing consent. Our note: if you want to delete your whole account instead, see deactivate or delete Facebook.

Our note: we’re not lawyers and this isn’t legal advice. Meta’s help page and the GDPR itself are what count.

What Meta AI can see in your chats

• Messages shared with it: Meta says Meta AI reads and replies to content shared with it, including messages that mention @Meta AI, AI image prompts and messages you ask it to summarize.
• Group chats: Meta says that when anyone mentions @Meta AI, messages from the past 30 days are shared with Meta AI. Meta says this isn’t available in all countries; where it isn’t, only the message that mentions Meta AI is shared.
• Everyone sees it: Meta says others in the chat can see your message to Meta AI and its reply. Meta advises being careful with personal information such as your address or phone number.
• Photos you ask it to edit: Meta says you can edit images you share in a Messenger chat with Meta AI, including in a chat with others by swiping left on one of your images, entering @, tapping Meta AI and describing your change. Meta says images Meta AI generates include a watermark, and that this feature is being gradually introduced, may not be available to you yet, and isn’t available on computers. Our note: the photo and your request are shared with Meta AI, so only edit photos you’re happy to share.
• Direct chats with Meta AI: Meta says it can remember details you choose to share and use them in later replies.
• How Meta uses it: Meta says it uses your interactions with AIs to improve AI at Meta, and that if the AI can’t answer, it shares your messages to the AI and general information like your region with select partners.
• Turning off message sharing doesn’t stop everything: Meta says people can still forward messages, report them to Meta, or forward them to Meta AI.

Meta also says Meta AI’s answers may be inaccurate or inappropriate and shouldn’t be used for important decisions. Encrypted chats: see how Messenger encryption works.

Keep summaries on, but remove one

Meta says that if comment summaries are on, you can remove the summary from a specific post on your Page. It also says that if you hide or delete a comment used in a summary, Meta AI may generate a new summary without it. Ads, including boosted posts, don’t get summaries.

How to know it worked

• Our check: the chat or Page setting you changed shows as off.

Still not working? Your next steps

1. Worried someone else is using your account? See Facebook hacked.
2. Want to limit who sees your posts instead? See who can see my posts.

Frequently asked questions