Meta on Wednesday introduced “Dear Algo,” a new AI-powered feature on Threads that lets users temporarily personalize what appears in their feed. The tool is now available in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand, with plans to expand to additional countries later.
To use Dear Algo, Threads users publish a public post beginning with the phrase “Dear Algo,” followed by a request describing the type of content they want to see more or less of. For example, a user might ask to see more posts about podcasts or fewer posts about a TV show they haven’t finished. Once posted, Threads adjusts that user’s feed for three days based on the request.
Unlike traditional feed controls such as a “Not Interested” button, Dear Algo works through visible posts. Other users can see the request and even repost it to apply the same preference to their own feed. Meta says the public format was inspired by a growing trend of users writing “Dear Algo” posts organically and views the feature as a way to turn personalization into a shared, community-driven experience.
The rollout adds another AI feature to Meta’s growing suite of tools across its apps. Earlier this week, the company released new AI-powered image features on Facebook, including profile photo animation and visual editing tools. Meta has told investors it expects to spend between $115 billion and $135 billion this year on AI-related capital expenditures, nearly doubling last year’s spending as it continues building out data centers and computing infrastructure.
Dear Algo arrives as Threads continues to expand its footprint in the social media landscape. Meta launched Threads in July 2023 to compete with X, formerly Twitter. The company said last month that Threads has reached 400 million monthly active users and is beginning a global ad rollout.
Recent third-party data also suggests Threads’ mobile usage is gaining momentum. According to Similarweb, the Threads mobile app recorded 141.5 million daily active users as of January 7, 2026, compared with 125 million daily active users for X. While X remains stronger on the web, Threads has seen steady growth on iOS and Android in recent months.
Meta says Dear Algo is designed to help users quickly shift their feed to reflect what matters in the moment — whether that’s seeing more discussion during a live NBA game or less content about a topic they want to avoid. The adjustment lasts three days, allowing the feed to remain responsive to current interests without permanently reshaping recommendations.
As Threads adds advertising and continues investing heavily in AI infrastructure, tools like Dear Algo signal Meta’s focus on refining how content is surfaced to users. Whether public, prompt-based personalization resonates with a broad audience remains to be seen, but the feature underscores how central algorithmic tuning has become to Threads’ strategy as it scales globally.
This analysis is based on reporting from CNBC.
Image courtesy Meta.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
