Facebook wants to use users' private photos to train AI

(Dan Tri) - Not only using images shared by users on social networks, Facebook now wants to use private images on phones that have never been shared to train its AI.

Major social media platforms like Facebook and X have long leveraged user-generated content, including posts, images and comments, to train their artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

This is considered a significant advantage for these "giants" in the race to develop AI, when they possess a huge available data warehouse.

However, Facebook seems to be looking for even bigger data sources. The social network is now moving to access and use personal photos stored on users' phones, even if they have never been publicly shared on the platform.

Facebook wants to use more images from users to train its AI system (Illustration: Getty).

According to a report from technology site TechCrunch , when Facebook users use the "Story" feature, the platform will ask for consent to "process data in the cloud".

If users agree, Facebook will suggest using AI features to create themed photo collections (e.g. birthdays, graduations) based on all the photos in their smartphone albums.

The approval means Facebook will continuously upload photos from users’ smartphones to its servers for processing. This includes new images added to the phone’s album.

TechCrunch also pointed out that, according to Meta AI's terms of service, if users have pressed the "Allow" button, Meta can use all information from their images, including their faces and the location where the photo was taken, to train its AI system.

This new feature is currently being tested with users in the US and Canada.

TechCrunch 's report has sparked concerns among Facebook users in the US and Canada, especially about the risk that Facebook could use sensitive or private images to train AI.

To reassure users, TechCrunch also provided instructions on how to revoke this decision. Users can access the Facebook app settings on their smartphones and turn off the "Suggestions based on your photo roll" option.

Facebook’s move comes as Meta is ramping up its AI efforts. Meta recently spent $15 billion to acquire a 49% stake in Scale AI, a leading startup in the field.

Founder Mark Zuckerberg himself is also directly recruiting a team of 50 leading AI experts to develop synthetic artificial superintelligence.

Facebook has not yet made any official comment on TechCrunch 's report.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/facebook-muon-su-dung-anh-rieng-tu-cua-nguoi-dung-de-huan-luyen-ai-20250630094240210.htm