Meta announced it is testing a new AI chatbot for Threads, similar to Grok on X. The “early beta” is limited to users in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Argentina, and Singapore, and is not currently available to most Threads users. However, the public-facing @meta.ai account is accessible to all Threads users, and its initial post has sparked significant backlash.
Users are expressing frustration over their inability to block the @meta.ai account, a feature that is available for other Threads accounts. Many have reported the account for spam, anticipating that a block option would appear, but reports indicate that their block requests did not take effect. The trend “Users cannot block Meta AI” has surged to the top on Threads, with over a million posts addressing the issue.
A Meta spokesperson previously stated that Threads users could see “fewer” posts from the AI bot by muting it or using a “not interested” button. Users can also hide replies to their posts involving the AI bot. Reports suggest that this situation mirrors a recent occurrence on Bluesky, where an announced AI assistant became one of the most blocked accounts after users expressed similar dissatisfaction.
This is not the first time Meta has faced backlash over unblocked AI features. The company previously introduced AI-generated Instagram profiles that received criticism and were later terminated, which Meta described as a “bug.” Meta has yet to comment on the current backlash concerning the block option for its AI chatbot.
