Meta’s recently launched AI chatbot app has become an unexpected public diary for thousands of users. Aimed at generating personalized, conversational responses to anything from identity to spirituality, the app has a "discover" feed upon which users can share their conversations with Meta AI. What was once merely a tool for personal contemplation has rapidly become a public exhibition of very intimate questions — often without users even knowing they are sharing their ideas with the world, the Washington Post reported.
From inquiring about how to assist a friend in coming out of the closet to asking for advice on breakup and religion, users are more and more approaching Meta AI with sensitive emotional questions. Others even leave voice notes discussing personal dilemmas, such as how to grow rice indoors for a loved one or facing relationship disputes. The feed is also interspersed with inappropriate or cringeworthy requests, from sexualized generated pictures to politically provocative content depicting caricatures of public icons.
Users may be sharing more than they intend
Though Meta claims chats with it are personal by default and only become visible if users specifically tap the "share" or "publish" button, the app's layout has led many astray. The share button does not specifically indicate where conversations will be visible or to whom. Therefore, some have unknowingly shared private thoughts, then queried Meta AI on how to remove or conceal their posts.
Privacy experts argue that this confusion is undesirable. "There's a mistaken sense of confidentiality," said Calli Schroeder, the Electronic Privacy Information Center's senior counsel. "Anything you provide to an AI system, at a bare minimum, will end up at the company serving as the host."
Emotional connection with bots is increasing
Some of the problem rests in the way users intuit about chatbots. Artificial intelligence tools such as Meta AI reflect human conversational signals, and that can create emotional closeness. "We just naturally respond as if we are talking to another person," said Michal Luria, a research fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology. "That reaction is automatic.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recognized this trend in an April podcast interview, commenting that the most widely used application of Meta AI is assisting individuals in thinking through tricky conversations. He expects this sort of emotional utility to become even more profound as AI becomes increasingly personalized.
But personalisation has risks. Recently, OpenAI was criticized for permitting ChatGPT to access previous user conversations without direct permission. Meta's discover feed is now a cautionary tale of what occurs when social networking functionality meets AI content — and users are not fully aware.
Lack of regulation leaves users vulnerable
Although increasing usage, there are limited legal protections governing how firms treat private user information in AI exchanges. Congress is in the process of considering bills that would undo state-level AI legislation and restrict forthcoming regulations for ten years, causing additional concern regarding transparency and responsibility.
As the discover feed becomes a conduit for everything from romance troubles to incendiary images, Meta's combination of AI with social media can remake how people interact with technology — and how exposed their online selves could become.
Whether technology platforms are prepared to safeguard that vulnerability is unclear.
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