Meta AI account on Threads can't be blocked, sparking user backlash

Meta is testing a tagable Meta AI account on Threads in Argentina, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, mirroring how X users summon xAI’s Grok for answers and context inside conversations. The feature is part of Meta’s broader push to catch up with OpenAI and Google, following the April launch of its Muse Spark model.

Users quickly noticed the account has no block option in its profile menu, and those who saw a block button reported errors when trying to use it. The complaint trended on Threads with over a million posts before apparently being suppressed, drawing angry replies aimed at the Meta AI account, the main Threads account, and Threads chief Connor Hayes.

Meta’s response, via spokesperson Christine Pai, is that users can mute, hide, or mark Meta AI replies as ‘Not interested’ but stops short of restoring a true block. The episode underscores a recurring pattern where platforms inject AI features into social feeds without giving users the same consent controls applied to other accounts.