3 min read
Meta is rolling out a major change to how advertisers create campaigns by deeply embedding its AI powered targeting system, Advantage Plus, directly into the standard ad setup flow. What used to be an optional and separate tool is now tightly integrated into budgeting, audience selection and placement decisions for new campaigns.
Meta explained their new feature in a Help page article, that the company is bringing its most powerful optimization tools directly into the workflow so advertisers can benefit from the same AI driven efficiencies without extra steps. The update, rolled out globally in late November 2025, automatically activates Advantage Plus options for both Audience and Placements in most new campaigns. Alongside this, Meta introduced an Opportunity Score, a zero to one hundred gauge estimating how well positioned a campaign is for success under the AI optimization model.
According to Meta’s internal data, these AI based recommendation models have delivered substantial performance improvements. Advertisers using the system reportedly see:
- 4x more efficient at driving ad performance gains for a given amount of data and compute than its original ads recommendation ranking models.
- 2x more effective at knowledge transfer, helping to optimize broader ad performance.
- Faster and more effective based on larger compute capacity, enabling more effective scaling of ad results.
Industry observers note that these gains are especially valuable for small and mid sized businesses that lack in house analytics resources. One digital marketing consultant stated earlier this week that Meta’s automation tools level the playing field and that small advertisers now get enterprise grade targeting with just a few clicks.
Meta’s competitive edge stems from its enormous global user base and the vast behavioral data it collects. By feeding this into AI models, Meta can estimate with high accuracy which audiences are most likely to respond to a given ad and when. This lets advertisers rely on predictions rather than guesswork during targeting. Instead of casting a wide net, advertisers can deliver ads to people with the highest probability of engagement at the right moment across Meta’s apps and surfaces.
Deep integration of Advantage Plus simplifies campaign creation and offers a direct pathway to optimized results. It reduces friction in setting audiences and placements and frees up time for creative decisions and strategy. For new or smaller advertisers, it lowers the barrier to entry and improves return on ad spend.
However, this shift also means advertisers hand over significant control to Meta’s algorithms. Campaign creators give up some manual oversight of targeting and budgets in exchange for automated decision making, which may not suit every brand’s needs or transparency expectations.
As platforms like Meta build AI optimization directly into their core experience, traditional manual targeting techniques may become less relevant. Competing platforms that lack comparable data scale and automation may struggle to keep up.
