Facebook Has a New AI Search Mode, but You Should Use It With Caution

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Meta is rolling out a new AI search mode on Facebook that will synthesize content from public posts—so instead of a list of links, users will get a summarized response similar to AI-generated results on other platforms. The feature, powered by Meta AI, will also allow users to engage in ongoing conversations and ask follow-up questions in plain language based on the results.

According to Meta's post announcing the new search function, AI Mode provides "answers grounded in what people are saying publicly across our apps" using information pulled from across its platforms, such as Groups and Reels. As TechCrunch notes, this feature functions similarly to the AI-powered "Ask" tab found in Meta's recently launched Forum app, which allows users to obtain answers to queries from across groups.

While it can be useful to glean information from user-generated content containing personal experiences, you should also use Meta AI (and tools like it) with caution. Obviously, AI responses should already be subject to scrutiny, as they often contain incorrect information and hallucinations even when pulled from vetted source material. As reported by 404 Media, it is also surprisingly easy to manipulate AI search results via user-generated content on Reddit and Wikipedia. In fact, nearly a quarter of all citations used by AI tools like Google AI and ChatGPT come from sites like these.

Many posts on Meta platforms contain misinformation and spam, and, like many social platforms, Facebook uses community notes instead of third-party fact-checking. Plus, user-generated content isn't the most reliable source. At best, the data AI searches pull from may be outdated—for example, a restaurant recommended in a post about travel has actually closed. At worst, the information may be intentionally misleading or malicious.