Meta is testing an AI bot to unleash the same online stupidity that is AskGrok on X

If you have ever been on X and watched someone tag Grok under a viral post asking “is this real???” – congratulations, Threads is about to give you the exact same experience.

Meta is testing a new feature that gives its AI chatbot a dedicated Threads account, @meta.ai, that users can tag directly inside posts and replies. The bot will then respond publicly with added context, recommendations, or information on whatever is being discussed.

The concept maps almost perfectly onto how AskGrok functions on X, where tagging an AI mid-conversation has become a reflex for millions of users. The feature is currently in early beta, limited to users in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Argentina, and Singapore.

What can you actually do with the Meta AI bot on Threads?

You can tag @meta.ai in any post or reply and ask it questions like “why is everyone talking about the Met Gala right now?” or “how are the Knicks doing in the playoffs?” The bot processes the mention and responds publicly under your thread.

It also replies in whatever language the original post was written in, which is a handy touch for a platform with a global audience. The feature is powered by Meta’s latest Muse Spark model, the same one rolling out across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.

On WhatsApp, Meta is testing a similar but private version called “side chats,” where you can ask the bot about your group conversation and only you can see the response – unlike Threads, where everything is out in the open.

So what could go wrong, and has it before?

Quite a lot, if Grok is any indication. Grok drew significant criticism after generating non-consensual sexualized images of real people on X. The backlash eventually pushed X to add a toggle letting users block Grok from editing their photos.

Meta has historically maintained tighter guardrails on its AI than X has with Grok. Still, putting any AI chatbot this visible on a public social platform opens the door to the same kind of user-driven chaos X has spent months trying to explain away.

Threads users did not even wait long to prove the point – within hours of @meta.ai going live, users discovered they could not block it, triggering over a million angry posts on the platform.