On October 28, Meta will turn on product browsing for ads that are already running, unless the advertiser opts out. Two days later, new commercial terms take effect. According to Adweek, the advertiser would be solely responsible for whatever Meta's AI creates or changes in its ads. As a Meta Ads agency, we believe both dates call for a review before the Black Friday season. In this article we explain what is known, what remains unconfirmed, and how to review your accounts if you advertise in the United States.
What changes on October 28 with product browsing?
Product browsing is a Meta feature that changes what happens after someone taps an ad. Instead of sending the person straight to your website, Facebook or Instagram shows a page inside the app with product information and personalized suggestions. Until now it was an Advantage+ creative enhancement that the advertiser turned on ad by ad. What is new is that it will be on by default for existing ads.
According to PPC Land, Meta's notice circulated around October 14 and sets the change for the 28th. That date comes from advertisers who received the notification. Meta has not confirmed it on a public page. PPC Land did not find a Help Center article, a changelog, or a newsroom post. The notice also does not clarify which formats, placements, or campaign objectives it covers, or whether new ads will start with the feature on.
Meta says advertisers saw 3% more conversions on average with this feature. The figure comes from an experiment from August 6 to 21 with about 117,700 advertisers, according to PPC Land. That same source points out what is not explained: which conversions were counted, with what attribution window, and what happened to cost per conversion. An average of 3% also does not say how many advertisers got worse results.
What do Meta's new commercial terms say about AI?
On October 22, Adweek reported that Meta's revised commercial terms include a section called "AI Features." According to that report, advertisers would be "solely responsible" for what Meta's AI features create or modify in their ads. This would include features that Meta turns on by itself, not only those the advertiser chooses.
The terms also say the AI can make mistakes and that the advertiser bears "any and all risks." The earlier version, according to Adweek, made the advertiser responsible only when it decided to use Meta's AI creative tools. The terms take effect on October 30. Anyone who keeps using Meta's products for business after that date accepts them, with no signature or checkbox involved.
Meta presented the change as a consolidation: it is moving its generative AI ad conditions into the main terms. A spokesperson said advertisers can turn off Advantage+ features individually at any time. But Meta did not answer directly whether the advertiser is responsible for features it never turned on.
Why does it worry advertisers that Meta turns on features without being asked?
Because several advertisers say it has already happened to them. Bookshop.org said an automatic account update enrolled it in a feature that added an AI generated illustration to an ad made by people. The agency Exverus said Meta's AI added sitelinks, translated copy, and created images and carousels from brands' photos, sometimes on ads where nobody had turned those options on. Exverus had to pull live ads to remove changes that slipped past its quality checks.
REI, according to PPC Land, pulled an Instagram ad in June after an AI altered image of a bicycle appeared. The brand said Meta had enrolled it in a tool without its knowledge. Ryan Adams, of Exverus, pointed out that many of these options sit in collapsed menus and must be unchecked one by one.
Analysts see the risk clearly. Asa Hiken, of eMarketer, said the brand carries the reputational damage, because consumers tend to assume the brand chose to use AI. David Dweck, of Go Fish Digital, said Meta turns these features on weeks before the sales peak and that his agency will not advise clients to pull back spending in the fourth quarter. These are opinions, not facts about the contract.
What is known and what has not been confirmed?
It is documented that Adweek reported the AI section on October 22 and that the effective date is the 30th. It is also documented that Meta said features can be turned off one by one. Everything else deserves caution.
Adweek did not reproduce the full text of the section. The sources also disagree on one point. Relevant Audience says the preview of the terms on Meta's website matches the quotes, while PPC Land says it could not access that preview. It is also unclear whether there will be a report showing which AI variants actually ran. And the October 28 date for product browsing still lacks public confirmation from Meta.
That is why we should not draw legal conclusions from these headlines. If you have doubts about your obligations or your contracts with clients, the prudent step is to have a lawyer review them. We do not give legal advice.
How do you review your ads before October 28 and 30?
These are recommendations from our Meta Ads agency, not Meta instructions. First, if you received the product browsing notice, decide before the 28th whether you want to keep it. The link to turn it off is in the notification, but its scope is unclear: it may apply to one account, several, or a portfolio. After using it, open a campaign to check that the change was recorded.
Second, review the Advantage+ creative enhancements section ad by ad. According to AdsUploader, the option is under personalized destinations, within the ad's creative settings, and there is also an option to optimize the website destination, which can send the click to another page of yours. Uncheck what you do not want and open the collapsed menus. Third, check duplicated ads again, because that same source indicates settings can switch back on when an ad is copied.
Fourth, during Black Friday, which falls on November 27, save screenshots of what is actually shown. If you see an unwanted change, you will have evidence and can pull the ad quickly. Fifth, review your contracts with clients and define who reviews AI generated text and images. Sixth, do not stop the season out of fear. Decide account by account, and turn things off more strictly in sectors with changing prices, dated promotions, or regulated text.
Consider a typical case, not real data but an example of how it might look. An online store in Texas has collection campaigns for Black Friday with prices that change every week. Its team turns off product browsing and the automatic destination options before the 28th, and leaves the brightness and format enhancements on only in a small campaign to compare. Every Monday it reviews screenshots of the published ads to catch any change in text or image.
When does it make sense to hire a Meta Ads agency?
When you manage several accounts, large budgets, or text subject to rules, every feature Meta turns on by default is a risk that someone must watch. A Meta Ads agency can audit, ad by ad, which enhancements are on, document the decisions, and measure the effect before leaving anything switched on. It can also organize your contracts with vendors and clients so responsibility is clear. If you want us to review how your account is set up before the high season, you can contact the JP Director team.
This topic connects with others we have published. To understand what Meta's terms say about crawling websites, read our analysis of Meta's commercial terms. And to see another platform that turns on creative enhancements by default, review our blog on ChatGPT Ads.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens on October 28 in Meta Ads?
According to advertisers who received the notice, Meta will turn on product browsing by default for existing Facebook and Instagram ads. If you do not turn it off, whoever taps your ad will see a product page inside the app before reaching your site. Meta has not confirmed the date on a public page.
Am I responsible for what Meta's AI changes in my ads?
According to Adweek, the terms taking effect on October 30 say yes, even for features that Meta turns on. Meta has not answered directly whether that applies to features you never turned on. To know how it affects you, consult a lawyer.
How do I turn off the AI enhancements in my ads?
Meta says you can turn off Advantage+ features individually in Ads Manager. Review the creative settings of each ad, including collapsed menus, and check duplicated ads again. For product browsing, use the link in the notice before the 28th and the setting on each ad.
Should I pause my Black Friday campaigns?
There is no documented reason to pause. The prudent step is to review which features are on, turn off those that could alter prices, promotions, or regulated text, and watch the published ads. The decision depends on each account.
Last updated: October 26, 2026. This article will be updated if Meta confirms the product browsing date or publishes the full text of the AI section.
