Facebook is testing a new feature that invites some users—mainly in the US and Canada—to let Meta AI access parts of their phone’s camera roll. This opt-in “cloud processing” option uploads recent photos and videos to Meta’s servers so the AI can offer personalized suggestions, such as creating collages, highlight reels, or themed memories like birthdays and graduations. It can also generate AI-based edits or restyles of those images.
Meta says this is optional and assures users that the uploaded media won’t be used for advertising. However, to enable this, people must agree to let Meta analyze faces, objects, and metadata like time and location. Currently, the company claims these photos won’t be used to train its AI models—but they haven’t completely ruled that out for the future.
Typically, only the last 30 days of photos get uploaded, though special or older images might stay on Meta’s servers longer for specific features. Users have the option to disable the feature anytime, which prompts Meta to delete the stored media after 30 days.
Privacy experts are concerned that this expands Meta’s reach into private, unpublished images and could eventually feed future AI training. Unlike Google Photos, which explicitly states that user photos won’t train its AI, Meta hasn’t made that commitment yet.
For now, this is still a test run for a limited group of people, but it highlights the tension between AI-powered personalization and the need to protect personal data.
