We’ve all been there – haunted by an annoying advert that keeps cropping up on or Facebook or Instagram feed. And it’s not only adverts. At times it seems like my feed is full of cute otter videos just because I liked one, once upon a time. Don’t get me wrong, I still find otters cute, but come on!
Well, the mystery is now officially revealed by Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, as Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs at Meta, last week promised on the Meta news platform that the company would be providing more insight into the AI processes that determine the relevancy of content displayed across different platforms.
“These systems make it more likely that the posts you see are relevant and interesting to you,” he explained. “We’re also making it clearer how you can better control what you see on our apps, as well as testing new controls and making others more accessible”.
According to Clegg, Meta’s AI systems predict the value of a piece of content to a user, basing this on a variety of signals and user feedback. These predictions help the company determine what content to display and when. The AI also plays a role in identifying harmful content, which is removed as soon as it’s detected. As part of their commitment to transparency, Meta is publishing ‘system cards’ that offer insights into how these AI systems work. This information is designed to be accessible even to those without technical expertise. Initially, 22 system cards will be released for Facebook and Instagram.
To give users more control over their experiences on Facebook and Instagram, Meta has centralized places where users can customize the influences on the content they see. For instance, Instagram is testing a feature where users can indicate interest in a recommended reel, allowing the system to tailor future recommendations more accurately. Similar control features are available on Facebook, including a “Show more, Show less” feature on all posts in Feed, Video, and Reels.
Now let’s see whether I’ll manage to get rid of all those otters that are cramping my style.
