Zuckerberg Reports: Time Spent on Facebook and Instagram Is Rising, While Threads Gains Momentum Thanks to AI
During Meta’s Q2 earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg emphasized the central role artificial intelligence now plays across the company’s platforms. Despite growing user frustration over the flood of low-quality AI-generated content often referred to as “AI slop” Meta remains confident that its algorithms are not only smarter but more effective than ever.
“AI has significantly improved our ability to deliver content that people actually find useful and engaging,” Zuckerberg stated. “This has translated into real growth: a 5% increase in time spent on Facebook and 6% on Instagram in just one quarter.”
Numbers That Back AI’s Role:
- 3.4 billion people now use at least one Meta app Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Messenger every day. That’s a 6% year-over-year increase.
- $47.1 billion in Q2 revenue from Meta’s “family of apps,” marking 22% growth from the same period last year.
- 20% increase in time spent watching video content, which Meta attributes to improved ranking systems and a stronger focus on original content on Instagram.
Threads Sees a Boost Powered by LLMs
While X (formerly Twitter) continues to experience instability, Meta is placing its bet on Threads and early signs look promising. The company links the platform’s growing engagement directly to its integration of large language models (LLMs).
There’s a certain irony in the situation: the very AI that draws criticism for producing odd suggestions and robotic content is also driving the growth investors want to see. Even as users complain, the algorithms are quietly doing their job keeping engagement numbers moving in the right direction.
