Facebook uses AI to power the algorithm that recommends videos to you

Meta is revamping the way Facebook recommends videos in Reels, Groups and the main Facebook feed by using AI to power its video recommendation algorithm, Facebook chief Tom Allison revealed Wednesday. The world’s biggest social network has already moved Reels, its TikTok competitor, to the new engine and plans to use it in all places on Facebook that show video – the main Facebook feed and groups – as part of a “technology roadmap” by 2026 d. , Alison said at a Morgan Stanley technology conference in San Francisco.

Meta has made competing with TikTok a top priority since the app, which serves up vertical videos and is known for its powerful recommendation system that seems to know exactly what will attract users, began growing in popularity in the US over the past few years. When Facebook tested the new AI-powered recommendation engine with Reels, watch time increased by roughly 8 to 10 percent, Allison revealed. “This told us that this new model architecture learns from the data much more efficiently than the previous generation,” Allison said. “So that was like a good sign that said, OK, we’re on the right track.”

Until now, Facebook used different video recommendation engines for Reels, Groups and Facebook feed. But after the success with Reels, the company plans to use the same AI-powered engine in all of these products.

“Instead of just powering Reels, we’re working on a project to power our entire video ecosystem with this single model, and then can we add our recommended Feed product to be served by that model as well,” Allison said. “If we get this right, not only will the recommendations be somehow more engaging and more relevant, but we think their responsiveness can be improved as well.”

The move is part of Meta’s strategy to infuse AI into all of its products after the technology explodes with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022. The company is spending billions of dollars to buy hundreds of thousands of expensive NVIDIA GPUs used to train and powering AI models, Zuckerberg said in a video earlier this year.