Enhancements to the tech giant’s AI system have resulted in an 8% rise in time spent on Facebook and a 6% increase on Instagram.
Meta reports a significant increase in user screen time on Facebook and Instagram following the introduction of a new AI-driven algorithm, according to an *Independent* report. The recent quarterly results, released on Wednesday (Oct 30), show that this enhancement to Meta’s AI system has led to an 8% increase in time spent on Facebook and a 6% increase on Instagram. Although the report didn’t detail specific time increases per user, Statista data suggests that between 2019 and 2021, users in India were spending nearly 20 hours per month on Facebook and over 13 hours on Instagram.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is making AI a core focus, hinting at plans to launch a new feed dedicated entirely to AI-generated content. In an earnings call, he said, “I think we’re going to add a whole new category of content that AI will generate, summarize, or curate from existing content.”
While some tech leaders are cautious about AI’s impact, Zuckerberg is fully embracing it. In a recent congressional hearing, he urged the U.S. government to actively engage with AI to support innovation, emphasizing that “American companies should set the standard by collaborating with our government to shape these models on important issues.”
Interestingly, Meta was not among the 100+ companies that recently signed a new AI Pact, a commitment to “drive trustworthy and safe AI development.”
Instagram lowering quality of videos
As Meta works on creating an AI-driven feed, Instagram head Adam Mosseri recently revealed that the platform is lowering the quality of less-viewed videos, sparking strong user backlash.
“We aim to showcase the highest-quality video possible. However, if a video isn’t watched much initially—since most views happen early on—we’ll switch it to a lower quality. If it starts gaining more views, we’ll restore the higher quality,” Mosseri explained.
Originally photo-sharing platforms, Instagram and Facebook have since evolved into TikTok-style short-video apps, promoting reels to boost user engagement and revenue.
