Meta enhances transparency, control over AI content ranking

Meta has shared more details about how its AI systems rank content for users’ feed, reels, stories, and other surfaces.
Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs at Meta, announced the company's commitment to transparency and control regarding the influence of AI on content recommendations. He said that Meta is dedicated to providing users with unique and personalized experiences on its platforms. In order to achieve this, the company utilizes AI systems to determine the content that appears on users' feeds.
Clegg emphasized the importance of understanding the relationship between users and the algorithms that shape their content experience.
Clegg stated: "We needed to be more frank about how this relationship works and to give you more control over what you see." In line with this commitment, Meta is taking significant steps to enhance transparency, control, and collaboration.
To achieve greater transparency, Meta is releasing 22 system cards that provide users with insight into how AI systems rank content across Facebook and Instagram. These system cards offer information on the predictions made by the AI systems, as well as the controls available to customize the user experience. They cover various surfaces such as Feed, Stories, Reels, and other content discovery areas. Meta also plans to provide experts with more detailed information to facilitate a better understanding and analysis of their systems.
Clegg emphasized the company's ethos of openness, transparency, and accountability in dealing with powerful technologies like generative AI.
He stated: "We believe that as these technologies are developed, companies should be more open about how their systems work and collaborate openly across industry, government, and civil society to help ensure they are developed responsibly." Meta aims to provide users with more insight and control over the content they see to address concerns and foster responsible AI development.
Meta's AI systems make predictions about the value and relevance of content to each user. Factors such as user behavior and feedback play a crucial role in determining the content that appears in users' feeds. The company aims to be more open about how these systems work and is sharing the types of signals and predictive models used to rank content. Meta is also committed to identifying and removing harmful content while adhering to their Content Distribution Guidelines.
To further empower users, Meta is expanding tools that allow for personalization and customization of the content experience. Users can visit centralized places on Facebook and Instagram to customize controls that influence the content they see. Meta is testing new features, such as the "Interested" and "Not Interested" options on Instagram's Reels tab, to enable users to indicate their preferences and shape their content recommendations.
Clegg concluded: "By using the tools available, you have the ability to shape your experiences on our apps so you see more of the content you want to see, and less of the content you don't." Meta remains committed to empowering users and providing them with greater transparency and control over their content experiences.