In short. AI Mode's documented Facebook scope is public content in Groups and Reels, with audience settings defining who can see each item.
Definition: Facebook AI Mode is a Meta AI search surface that can ground answers in public discussions across Meta's apps. Meta's announcement names public content in Facebook Groups and Reels as examples, so the relevant boundary is the audience that can see the content.
Key facts
- Meta says AI Mode gives answers rooted in culture, opinions and recommendations that people share publicly across its apps, rather than only links, in its Facebook AI Mode announcement.
- The same announcement specifically names public discussions in Groups and Reels as sources for answers.
- Meta says new posts, comments and reactions in a public Facebook group are visible to anyone, including people who are not on Facebook, in its group privacy update.
- Facebook's Reels audience help page defines the Public audience as visible to anyone, including people off Facebook.
- A public group can still contain older material that was shared while the group was private. Meta says that past material remains visible to pre-conversion members, admins and moderators.
What does Meta say AI Mode can use?
Meta announced AI Mode on Facebook in June 2026. It describes the feature as a way to get answers on Facebook through Meta AI. The announcement says the feature works from Feed exploration and specific searches, and grounds answers in what people are saying publicly across apps such as Groups and Reels.
Meta also describes the material as culture, opinions and recommendations shared publicly. This wording covers the substance of public discussions, rather than limiting the feature to pages that a website owner controls or to a list of external web links. Meta names Muse Spark as the system powering this Facebook experience.
The announcement names Groups and Reels, but it does not publish a separate item-level selection rule for individual posts or videos. The audience settings therefore provide the clearest practical test for the two formats in scope.
Which Group posts are in the public boundary?
Meta's November 2025 group update says that converting a private group to public makes the group's new content visible to everyone. It separately says that posts, comments and reactions shared while the group was private remain visible only to people who were members before conversion, plus admins and moderators.
For a public group, the update makes the boundary explicit: new posts, comments and reactions on new content are visible to anyone, including people who are not on Facebook. Meta says a globe icon appears when someone posts in a public group and that the icon means the content will be visible to anyone.
Meta's earlier Public Groups privacy explanation describes public-group content as visible to anyone on and off Facebook. It contrasts private groups, where only members can see the group content. For AI Mode, a post or comment must therefore be in the public portion of the group audience to fall within the announced public-content scope.
Which Reels audience qualifies?
Facebook's help page says the audience selected for a Reel controls who can see it and that the default applies to future Reels, including Reels shared from Instagram. Its audience list defines Public as content that anyone, including people off Facebook, can see. It defines Friends as content only Facebook friends can see.
Public: Anyone, including people off of Facebook, can see your reel.
For this question, a public Reel is the documented match for Meta's phrase “people are saying publicly.” A Reel limited to Friends, Only me, Specific friends or a Custom audience is outside that public audience definition. The help page also says that, since September 2025, all videos on Facebook are Reels and the default audience setting applies to future Reels.
How should a website owner interpret this?
The announcement concerns content people share inside Facebook, so a website's own page settings do not turn a private Facebook post, private-group discussion or restricted Reel into public Facebook content. A business that participates in a public group can check the group label and the globe icon before treating a post or comment as public. A creator can check the Reel audience and select Public when the content is intended for anyone on or off Facebook.
Related terms
FAQ
Can a private Facebook Group post ground an AI Mode answer?
Meta's announcement names public Group discussions. Meta's group guidance says material shared while a group was private remains limited to earlier members, admins and moderators after a conversion, so it is outside the public boundary described here.
Is every Facebook Reel public?
No. Facebook lets you choose an audience for each Reel. The documented Public option is visible to anyone, while Friends is visible only to your Facebook friends.
What should you check on a public Group post?
Check that the group is public and look for the globe icon when posting. Meta says that icon means the content will be visible to anyone.
Does Meta publish an AI Mode allowlist for posts and Reels?
No separate item-level allowlist appears in the announcement. The published boundary is public content in Groups and Reels, with the audience controls described above.
Sources
- Meta, "New AI Tools to Help You Make Things Happen on Facebook", 15 June 2026
- Meta, "New Facebook Update Gives Group Admins More Flexibility While Protecting Member Privacy", 3 November 2025
- Meta, "Privacy Matters: The New Public Groups", 1 October 2020
- Facebook Help Center, "Set your default audience for reels on Facebook", undated
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