A new light-blue circle has recently appeared in WhatsApp chats, marking the expansion of Meta AI into new markets by Meta. Initially launched in the US and Canada in 2023, this artificial intelligence feature has now reached devices in Europe, including the UK, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India.
The AI-based chatbot is being integrated across the entire Meta ecosystem, including platforms like Messenger and Instagram. It offers basic functions such as answering questions, generating text, and creating content. However, its introduction has sparked privacy concerns among users, particularly regarding whether the feature can be turned off.
On WhatsApp, a new Meta AI button has been introduced above the new chat icon on Android and in the bottom-right corner on iOS. This button enables users to directly interact with the Meta AI assistant. Additionally, users can tag @Meta AI in their chats to pose questions, and the assistant will appear in personal contact lists.
The chatbot is built on Meta’s open-source language model, Llama 3.2. Similar to the initial introduction of ChatGPT on WhatsApp, Meta AI begins with limited features, focusing on assisting users with text generation and improving search capabilities. More features are anticipated to be added in the future.
Regarding data usage, Meta states that its assistant cannot access or read message content unless users seek assistance. In such cases, the messages remain end-to-end encrypted, and details will not be linked with other Meta accounts, such as Facebook or Instagram. Nevertheless, while private message content is encrypted, interactions with Meta AI are not. Meta cautions users that data sent to the AI might be used to enhance its models, advising against sharing sensitive information. They assure that chats with Meta AI will be “visually distinct” for easy identification.
For users who are disinterested in this feature, there is currently no option to disable or remove Meta AI from WhatsApp. Although users can opt to ignore it, the button will remain within the app. If users have interacted with the AI and wish to retract their usage, they can reset Meta AI at an individual chat level or system-wide. Simply deleting a chat with Meta AI will not suffice; specific reset commands must be used.
