Facebook AI Photo Editing: New Feature Suggests Edits

Facebook's AI Now Offers Photo Editing Suggestions

A new Facebook functionality, powered by Meta AI, is being released to all users located in the United States and Canada. This feature provides suggestions for editing photos that are stored on a user’s device but have not been publicly shared.

How the Feature Works

Initially tested during the summer months, the application now presents a permission request. This request seeks authorization to “allow cloud processing” to generate “creative ideas” tailored to the user’s camera roll content.

The system can propose various enhancements, including collages, recaps, AI restyling, and themed creations for birthdays and other occasions.

To facilitate these suggestions, Facebook uploads images from the user’s device to its cloud infrastructure. This ongoing upload process enables Meta’s AI to analyze and propose edits.

Meta assures users that their media will not be utilized for advertising targeting. Furthermore, the company states it will refrain from using the media to refine its AI systems unless the user actively edits and shares the modified photos.

Data Usage and Privacy

Users retain the ability to deactivate this feature at any time. However, by agreeing to Meta’s AI Terms of Service, users grant permission for their media and facial features to be subjected to AI analysis.

These terms stipulate that Meta can “summarize image contents, modify images, and generate new content based on the image” through this processing.

The company also leverages data regarding the dates and the presence of individuals or objects within the photos to formulate creative ideas. This provides Meta with increased insight into the user’s life and relationships.

Granting Meta access to previously unshared photos could potentially bolster the company’s position in the AI race. This access provides a substantial amount of user data, behavioral patterns, and inspiration for novel AI functionalities.

Feature Settings and Control

The settings for this feature are accessible within the Preferences section of Facebook’s Settings menu.

Within the “Camera roll sharing suggestions” page, two toggles are available. One controls whether Facebook suggests photos while browsing the app. The other manages the “cloud processing” permission, enabling Meta to create AI-enhanced images from the user’s camera roll.

Meta's Broader AI Strategy

Meta has been actively utilizing its extensive social network reach to enhance its AI technology. The company previously announced plans to train its image recognition AI using publicly available data from Facebook and Instagram posts and comments.

European Union users were given a timeframe until May 27, 2025, to opt out of this data usage. Last year, Meta also revealed its intention to train its AI on images analyzed by Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses users.