Technologies

Meta Will Use Your AI Interactions to Personalize Ads and Content

What you see will be shaped by how you interact with Meta’s AI.

Meta is fully invested in the AI business model and is adding something new. Starting Dec. 16, Meta will begin personalizing ads and content recommendations based on how Facebook and Instagram consumers interact with the company’s AI. Those recommendations could include things like Facebook posts and Instagram reels and, of course, ads based on your perceived interests. Meta owns both Facebook and Instagram.

Meta said it will start notifying customers of the update on Oct. 7. According to the company, the update will occur in the US and «most regions. «

The company said that interactions with its AI features — either by voice or text exchange — «will help us improve the recommendations we provide for people across our platforms so they’re more likely to see content they’re actually interested in — and less of the content they’re not.»

People still will have control over the content and ads they see, via Meta’s Ads Preferences and feed controls. How you interact with AI is your choice, either with voice or text, and you’ll see an indicator light that the microphone is in use. Consumers must give permission for the mic to be used.

Meta said that personalizing ads and content based on AI interactions is just an extension of what the company has been doing for years.

«Your interactions with content on Facebook and Instagram have long shaped what appears in your feed,» Meta said. «Just like other personalized services, we tailor the ads and content you see based on your activity, ensuring that your experience evolves as your interests change. Many people expect their interactions to make what they see more relevant.»

What customers might see

Let’s imagine that someone asks Meta’s AI questions about snowboarding. After that, they might start seeing ads or Instagram reels or Facebook posts related to snowboarding.

Meta said that AI interactions will only be used to personalize ads and content across platforms that you have added to its Accounts Center. So, if WhatsApp (another Meta product) is not in your Accounts Center, you will not see AI-personalized ads or content there.

Security concerns

When it comes to AI, there are always questions about privacy, security and data misuse. Earlier this summer, Meta changed its AI chatbots after a Reuters report found that the bots could engage in «sensual» chats with minors. Actor and director Joseph Gordon-Levitt called Meta’s AI chatbot dangerous for kids earlier this week.

A Meta spokesperson told CNET that the company has safeguards for the new personalization feature.

«We have a robust internal Privacy Review process that helps ensure we are using data at Meta responsibly for our products, including generative AI,» the spokesperson said. «We work to identify potential privacy risks that involve the collection, use or sharing of personal information and develop ways to reduce those risks to people’s privacy.»

Technologies

SXSW 2026 Updates: What We Expect on Tech and Culture From Austin

Technologies

Uber May Soon Let You Book a Zoox Robotaxi in Las Vegas and LA

Amazon-owned Zoox hopes to start offering paid robotaxi rides to regular riders sometime this year. Right now, the rides are free.

No steering wheel, no pedals, no problem. Zoox announced Wednesday that it’s partnering with Uber to make its robotaxis available on the ride-hailing company’s app in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, pending US government approval.

The multiyear partnership, announced by Zoox and Uber on Wednesday, would enable Uber customers to get rides on Zoox robotaxis in Vegas this summer and in LA in 2027. After the partnership launches, the app will match riders with robotaxis on eligible trips, Uber said in a statement. Zoox will also offer rides on its robotaxis through its own app, so customers can use either the Uber or Zoox app to ride in the vehicles.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi called Zoox an «ideal partner» in a statement.

«The Zoox robotaxi is unlike any othervehicle on the planet — it was purpose-built from the ground up to deliveran extraordinary experience,» Khosrowshahi said. «Zoox’scommitment to safety and their advanced autonomous driving technology makethem an ideal partner. We’re thrilled to work together to introduce moreriders to the future of mobility.»

Zoox, founded in 2014 and acquired by Amazon in 2020, currently offers free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco during its demonstration phase of service. The company said its robotaxis have logged more than 1 million miles for more than 300,000 riders.

Zoox is also conducting tests in six other cities — Seattle, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington, DC, and Austin, Texas — and announced earlier this week that Dallas and Phoenix are next. Only people in San Francisco and Las Vegas can currently get test rides through the Zoox app.

«We’re taking a measured, step-by-step approach by starting small, learning quickly, and scaling responsibly,» Zoox said in its announcement Wednesday. «This partnership with Uber will mirror that approach, beginning with a controlled deployment with the potential to expand as we refine our operations, technology, and customer experience.»

No steering wheel

The Zoox is a fully autonomous vehicle that can carry up to four passengers (PDF). It has no steering wheel, no accelerator or brake pedals, and is bidirectional, meaning it can go forward and reverse by simply switching which end of the car is considered the front. There are touchscreens and emergency call buttons. Zoox had early issues with erratic braking that caused injuries and a crash, but addressed the issue through software updates during the ensuing investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

CNET’s Abrar Al-Heeti caught a ride in a Zoox in Las Vegas. She said she felt «oddly at ease as I watch a stream of cars, chain restaurants and desert landscape flash past the windows.»

Before it can start making money on its robotaxi rides, Zoox must get an exemption from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. NHTSA is now accepting public comments on Zoox’s application for the exemption — you can post a comment here until April 10.

Zoox is seeking eight federal vehicle safety exemptions, including from rules requiring windshield wipers and windshield defrosting systems, TechCrunch reported.

Waymo is currently the main player in the US robotaxi market, with fully autonomous service in 10 US cities. But several other companies are looking to ramp up their self-driving presence this year, including Zoox, Tesla and Uber. That market expansion aligns with a Goldman Sachs forecast that more than 35,000 robotaxis will operate in the US in 2030, up from 1,500 currently. That would represent 8% of the rideshare market, with traditional human-driven rideshare comprising the other 92%.

Uber has partnerships with 25 other robotaxi services around the world, primarily Waymo — you can use the Uber app to get Waymo rides in Atlanta and Austin — and China’s Baidu, which will be testing self-driving rides in London this year.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 12, #1005

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 12 No.1,005.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

I spotted a couple of the categories in today’s NYT Connections puzzle, but the fact that I don’t take a lot of gym classes hurt my knowledge. You avid exercisers will have an advantage today. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Beach time.

Green group hint: This way, then that way.

Blue group hint: Workout time.

Purple group hint: Chirp!