[Exclusive] WhatsApp starts testing Meta AI with select users in India

WhatsApp, the widely used messaging app owned by Meta, has finally joined the artificial intelligence club. The Meta AI icon has finally appeared in the main chat list of some Indian users. Meta AI is powered by the company’s large-scale language model Meta AI, or Llama. It is an advanced artificial intelligence technology developed by Meta. For WhatsApp users, Meta AI can hold conversations about anything, from answering queries or making suggestions to just making small talk with the AI.

Gadgets 360 briefly accessed the AI-powered feature on Wednesday before it disappeared, suggesting it may be available for a limited time. The screenshot below shows a Meta AI chat opening with a verified badge and reading “#with Llama#.” The chat popup says “Ask Meta AI any questions” and there are many suggestive prompts on the screen. Tips are stacked in a carousel format and can be slid to reveal more suggestions. As shown in the figure, prompts such as “Imagine a racing car on Mars,” “Imagine a holographic bus,” and “Healthy life goals” can be given. Notably, the Meta AI icon is located in the top right corner along with the camera and new chat options. This icon reminds me of Microsoft’s Cortana assistant.

Meta AI features are available in limited countries and only in English. When starting a chat with Meta AI, the platform notifies that “Messages from Meta AI and other characters are generated by artificial intelligence (AI) using Meta’s services in response to prompts you send to the AI.” The chat platform also clarified, Meta AI can only read and reply to chats that mention @Meta AI, which means the tool cannot access other chats. The tip also adds, “As always, your personal messages and calls are still end-to-end encrypted, meaning not even WhatsApp or Meta can see or listen to them.”

How to start a chat on WhatsApp with AI in Meta

First, the Meta AI feature in WhatsApp can answer questions, provide suggestions, and talk about interests. Start chatting:

• Click on the round icon in the upper right corner of the main WhatsApp chat list
• Read and accept the terms (if prompted)
• Choose from suggested tips on the screen or enter your own
• Click the send button and you’ve started a conversation

Interestingly, WhatsApp also listened to feedback from Meta AI users. Users can tap and hold on the AI-generated response and tap “Good Response” or “Bad Response.” Users can also enter a reason and submit.

Metadata on WhatsApp FAQ page mentions that “some messages generated by artificial intelligence may be inaccurate or inappropriate.”

Meta recently released Llama 2, its next-generation large-scale language model for generating AI assistants, and is expected to release Llama 3 in the coming weeks.