Meta introduces Dear Algo feature letting Threads users personalize feeds with AI prompts

Meta's 'Dear Algo' posts let Threads users tweak feed

Meta has decided to let Threads users make custom tweaks to its all-important algorithm, but don't expect your preferences to stick and do expect to bring your best manners. The social media-cum-metaverse-cum-AI firm formerly known as Facebook announced a new Threads feature called "Dear Algo" on Wednesday, alongside news of plans to build a massive 1 GW AI datacenter in Lebanon, Indiana. Dear Algo will use some of Meta's AI magic to tweak the algorithm for Threads users with just a public post, written like a letter directed to the algorithm, asking it to please show them more, or less of, a particular topic. Dear Algo posts can also be reposted by others, which will have the same effect on their account. Once published, the Dear Algo will tweak a user's feed per their request - but only for three days due to what Meta says is a desire to keep users "connected to the most current conversations" - or most controversial, whichever makes Meta more money. Meta didn't give many examples of the sort of commands users can make of Dear Algo, only mentioning things like telling it to show a person more posts about a current NBA game or something as general as "show me more posts about podcasts." The company didn't say how specific Dear Algo posts are able to get either, so whether a user could prompt it to exclude posts expressing certain viewpoints on a particular topic, or to mute spoilers about a particular television episode while allowing conversation about the show outside spoilers wasn't made clear. Meta's algorithms have been a source of controversy for years, ever since the company eliminated chronologically sorted Facebook feeds in favor of the company deciding how to present content to its users. Fast-forward more than a decade, and Meta is still taking heat for alleged racial bias in its algorithms, prioritizing content that may radicalize mass shooters, and generally promoting divisive, misery-inducing content. Personifying its algorithm by letting users write letters to it in a bid to help them get a more tailored experience for a few days may help appease some, but it's just as possible to leave others wondering what Meta could do to make its platforms more pleasant. Speaking of which, Meta didn't announce any plans to bring Dear Algo posts to its other platforms, so Instagram and Facebook users will have to continue to cope with an algorithm that provides what it thinks they want without an AI-powered option to change it.

Meta launches AI algorithm personalization feature for Threads

Meta on Wednesday debuted an AI feature called "Dear Algo" that lets Threads users personalize their content-recommendation algorithms. Threads users will be able to tell the Dear Algo tool what kinds of posts they want to see similar to how people use written prompts to interact with chat bots like OpenAI's ChatGPT. The feature is the latest example of how Meta is continuing to incorporate artificial intelligence into its various apps like Threads. The social media company on Tuesday also released AI features for its Facebook service that let users animate their profile photos and alter other images with the Meta AI digital assistant. Meta last month told investors that it plans to spend between $115 billion and $135 billion this year on AI-related capital expenditures. That's nearly double the amount of capex that Meta spent last year when it overhauled its AI unit. Dear Algo is the latest addition to Threads, the micro-blogging platform that Meta launched in July 2023 to compete against Twitter, which is now called X and was part of the merger between Elon Musk's xAI and SpaceX earlier this month. Last month, Meta said Threads had 400 million monthly active users and would begin rolling out ads globally. CEO Mark Zuckerberg in January also told analysts that Meta plans to debut and test new AI products and features in 2026 as the company continues to spend big on data center and related computing infrastructure. To use the new tool, Threads users have to to craft a public post on the platform that begins with the phrase "Dear Algo" and then explains the kind of content they want to see more or less of. A spokesman for the company said Meta was inspired by a trend of people publicly sharing posts that included the phrase "Dear Algo," a company spokesperson told CNBC. "Once you share your request, Dear Algo adjusts your feed for three days, so you can stay connected to the most current conversations,' Meta said in a blog post. "You can also repost someone else's Dear Algo request to apply their content preferences to your own feed." Meta said that it will begin testing Dear Algo with users in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand before rolling it out to more countries at later dates.

Meta introduces "Dear Algo", AI to personalize the Threads feed

Meta has unveiled a new artificial intelligence feature called "Dear Algo," designed to give Threads users greater control over their recommendation feed. With the tool, platform members can set content preferences as written prompts, similar to those addressed to chatbots, to temporarily adjust their user experience. To activate it, users simply publish a public post starting with "Dear Algo," followed by their desired preferences. The algorithm then adapts the news feed for three days. Users can also reuse a request posted by another user to apply the same criteria to their own feed. The feature is directly inspired by an already common practice on the platform, where users tried to influence the algorithm with messages addressed to "Dear Algo." The rollout fits into Meta's broader push to integrate AI across its services. In parallel, the company announced new Meta AI-based features, such as animating profile photos or editing images on Facebook. Meta plans to invest between $115bn and $135bn in AI in 2026, a sharp increase from the previous year. Threads, launched in July 2023 to compete with X (formerly Twitter), had 400 million monthly active users in January. The platform is also beginning a global advertising rollout. "Dear Algo" will first be tested in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, before being gradually expanded to other markets.