Meta Brings AI Chatbot to Threads Direct Messages
Threads, Meta Platforms’ text-focused social network, is expanding its role beyond public conversations by bringing Meta AI into private messaging. The assistant was already available in direct messages across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, while Threads had tested AI interactions in public posts in selected markets. The move further embeds generative AI across Meta’s services as it competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini for user attention.
Meta said on July 27, 2026, that it had begun rolling out Meta AI in Threads direct messages globally. Users can chat privately with the assistant, share Threads posts, images, links and videos, and ask follow-up questions about that material. Meta AI’s presence in the Threads public feed remains limited to a handful of markets, with users able to mute @meta.ai, mark posts as “Not interested,” or hide AI replies.
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The history behind this eventThreads Users Push Back Against Meta AI Test Over Account That Cannot Be Blocked
Meta continues to integrate generative AI into its social platforms. Threads is testing Ask Meta, a feature similar to Grok on X that lets users tag @meta.ai in posts to receive real-time information and answers to questions. The move also reflects Meta's effort to bring its Muse Spark model into social interactions, putting users' ability to opt out in the spotlight.
As of July 19, 2026, Meta was testing real-time replies from @meta.ai in Taiwan. Earlier reports said the feature was not yet supported there, indicating a phased rollout. During the test, many users tried to stump the AI with a range of questions, but the account cannot be blocked like a regular account. That limitation has sparked a backlash centered on the platform's forced exposure of AI content and the imbalance in user control.
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