Meta continues to revolutionize Instagram through artificial intelligence!
A conversational assistant integrated directly into the app has arrived, allowing you to interact via chat to get quick answers, suggestions, AI-generated content, and much more. This article will explain how to activate the AI assistant and how to configure it strategically.
How to activate the AI assistant on Instagram
To activate Meta AI, simply go to your profile and click the “+” icon located in the top right. Among the list of possible content to create (reels, stories, live broadcasts, etc.), there is the option AI.
Please note that this new feature is still being rolled out; therefore, it may not yet be visible in all accounts.
Next, Instagram will show a screen—like the following—where it briefly explains what Meta AI is and how it works. Simply click the Get Started button.
How to create the AI assistant on Instagram
In this second step, the actual creation phase begins.
Let’s take the case of an online electronics store that wants to configure the chatbot to provide useful information about available products, technical specifications, payment methods, shipping, and after-sales support.
At this point, you need to write a prompt of up to 2,000 characters that clearly defines the assistant’s role and objectives.
Instagram also offers some suggested prompts visible at the bottom of the screen.
After entering the prompt, on the next screen Instagram will ask you to choose the AI’s role and personality traits.
This choice is important because it must be consistent with the brand’s tone of voice and communication, helping to create a recognizable user experience aligned with its identity.
At this point, you need to choose the profile picture for Meta AI. Based on the settings defined previously, the system automatically proposes a first version, which can however be modified or refined through prompts by selecting the Create image option.
Creation is almost complete! It’s time to choose a name. In this case too, Instagram will show relevant suggestions.
In the final step, you’re required to write a brief introduction for the chatbot, which is the message users will see when starting the chat.
It can contain up to 200 characters and serves to immediately explain who the assistant is and what it can do.
Here too, the system provides some automatic suggestions, which can be accepted, modified, or replaced with custom text.
Creation complete!
How to configure the AI assistant on Instagram
After creating your AI assistant, you can access a series of additional configurations to further enhance its functionality.
Visibility and profile
You can define the assistant’s visibility, choosing whether to show it only on Instagram or also on Messenger and/or WhatsApp.
You can also decide whether to display it on your Instagram profile. If hidden, the AI will remain active and reachable via direct message, but won’t be visible as an option on the profile page.
Advanced settings
The advanced settings section includes several optional entries designed to improve the quality of interaction with the chatbot:
- Introduction: you can modify the introductory text entered previously.
- Welcome message: you can add a custom message that will be shown when the conversation starts. In the absence of inserted text, the system will automatically generate a greeting based on the description provided for the AI.
- Initial prompts (“ice breakers”): Instagram allows you to suggest some prompts to the user to facilitate starting the conversation.
- Instructions: a field is available (up to 500 characters) to provide guidance on how the AI should respond, such as tone of voice, communication style, or behavior in specific situations.
- Sample dialogues: you can insert examples of questions and answers in the desired style. The more specific these examples are, the better the assistant will be able to replicate a consistent and precise style.
Additional features
- Image generation: you can enable or disable the AI’s ability to generate images. Even when active, this function only activates when the user explicitly requests it.
- Search: you can enable or disable the search function, which allows the assistant to search for and share updated information during the conversation.
Thoughts on Instagram’s AI assistant
Once the assistant is published, you can monitor its activity through Insights, which offer useful data to evaluate the effectiveness of interactions and improve the user experience over time.
The assistant can also be shared via link, extending its visibility beyond Instagram, for example on websites, newsletters, or other digital channels.
All these operations, from creation to customization to monitoring, can be managed centrally through AI Studio, Meta’s official tool for configuring and optimizing virtual assistants.
However, the most important aspect is that an effective assistant must be “trained” over time. Creating it is not enough: it’s essential to refine the tone, content, responses, and updates.
For this reason, it’s advisable to rely on industry professionals, capable of designing and maintaining the AI in line with the brand’s objectives, values, and voice.
