Facebook is now testing a feature that allows AI to access your phone’s camera roll. This tool, known as the Facebook AI camera roll feature, suggests edited versions of your photos—even those not posted on the platform.
The feature appears when users try to create a new Story. A pop-up asks whether they want to enable “cloud processing.” If approved, Facebook begins uploading images from the phone’s camera roll to Meta’s servers.
By doing this, users receive AI-generated suggestions like collages, recaps, stylized filters, and photo themes. These suggestions rely on image data such as time, location, and detected subjects. Only the user sees the AI suggestions—unless they decide to share them.
However, agreeing to the feature also means accepting Meta’s AI Terms of Service. These terms let Meta’s AI analyze your photos, including facial details. The company also uses the presence of people or objects in your images to generate creative edits.
Meta says this tool does not affect ad targeting. Still, it enables broader AI access to media stored on your phone. According to the terms, once uploaded, Meta may use your content to personalize AI responses, summarize image content, and generate new visuals.
Some Facebook users have already encountered this tool. One Reddit user noticed an old photo turned into anime by Meta AI. Another user in an anti-AI group found the toggle in Facebook’s settings and sought ways to disable it.
You can find the feature under Settings > Preferences > Camera Roll Sharing Suggestions. Two toggles appear there. One enables Facebook to suggest photos while browsing. The second—labeled “cloud processing”—activates ongoing photo uploads for AI use.
This isn’t Facebook’s first test involving private photo access. Posts from earlier this year show that some users had already seen the AI prompt. Meta has also published a help page to explain the tool for Android and iOS users.
According to Meta spokesperson Maria Cubeta, the tool is still in testing. “We’re exploring ways to make content sharing easier,” she said. “These suggestions are opt-in and shown only to you—unless you share them. You can turn the feature off anytime.”
Cubeta added that Meta is not using the uploaded media to train its AI models during this test. Instead, the content helps generate suggestions on a per-user basis. Still, the Facebook AI camera roll feature represents a shift from using only public data. Previously, Meta’s AI trained on shared posts and comments, not private photos.
Meta’s updated AI terms took effect on June 23, 2024. They let the company analyze user inputs, including prompts and image data. The terms also allow human review of user interactions with AI systems. Yet, the company doesn’t clearly define what it considers “personal information.”
This raises concerns. For instance, it’s unclear if images shared for creative suggestions fall under broader data-use permissions. Additionally, there’s no historical archive of older terms for comparison, making accountability difficult.
So far, backlash remains limited. However, this feature is still in early testing, and most users haven’t noticed it. Even so, privacy experts worry. With Meta already accessing posted content, extending that reach to local device storage pushes boundaries further.
The Facebook AI camera roll feature may help users create more engaging content. But it also reveals how companies continue blurring lines between helpful tools and deeper data extraction. As AI expands, understanding the full cost of convenience becomes more important than ever.
READ: Meta Wins Copyright Lawsuit Over AI Training in Major Fair Use Decision
