Thread's AI-Driven 'Today's Topics' Feature Readies for Beta Testing in the US

Following a deluge of requests from users, Threads is readying to test a long-awaited feature. Revealed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the social media app will start testing a 'Today's Topics' feature. Only available to select U.S users initially, this section will display high-engagement topics in real-time, powered by artificial intelligence (AI). This feature seems closely related to the Trending page on X, previously known as Twitter.

In a post on Threads, Zuckerberg confirmed that expansions to other countries and languages would follow once the system was fully optimized. Instagram Head Adam Mosseri described how the feature would function. According to Mosseri, the 'Today's Topics' on Threads will be featured on the search page as well as the 'For You' feed. Determined by AI systems, these topics will mirror current user engagements on Threads.

Visually, this addition bears a resemblance to X's Trending page with certain distinct features. Threads' trending topics do not require hashtags or tags, and are displayed as plain text with a heading and top post relevant to the topic. The AI system will select the heading and subjects, eliminating the confusion sometimes caused by ambiguous hashtags.

The 'For You' page also showcases 'Today's Topics' in a separate section staggered between posts in a carousel format. This setup resembles the Threads post section on the Instagram app. Top posts are displayed in small rectangular boxes, as illustrated in screenshots shared by Mosseri.

In more recent developments, Threads started beta testing a 'Saved' feature, enabling users to bookmark posts. By tapping the 'Save' button, users can add posts to the 'Saved' section available within the profile settings.