Have you noticed a new option in your WhatsApp lately? If you have spotted a small blue circle pop up in your chat app, you’ve been granted access to Meta AI – but not everyone is overjoyed at the news.
What is Meta AI and why is it in my WhatsApp?
WhatsApp owner Meta, like most tech companies, has jumped on the generative artificial intelligence train. That is not a new development; it has been working on its own open source models for generative AI for some time now, and the end result – Llama – isn’t bad.
Now it is putting the power of gen AI, through Meta AI, into all its products. That means Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and – yes, you’ve guessed it – WhatsApp.
Why now?
Meta AI has been available to users in the US since September 2023 and in the UK since last year. Now Meta has been rolling out the AI feature to 41 European countries, including Ireland. So you may have it, or not, but it is coming to your WhatsApp eventually.
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What does it do?
Lots of things, but it depends on where you live. If you live in the US, for example, you can use Meta AI to generate images, and it also offers personalisation and memory, where it uses your previous interactions and information you have shared with the AI during your chats to provide you with more relevant responses.
But in Europe, where Meta has repeatedly clashed with regulators, Meta AI is more limited for now. That means you can access the intelligent chat function, so you have an on-call assistant in six European languages. The AI can also answer queries in group chats, or open up access to content such as Instagram reels and posts from friends.
But the more advanced features have yet to launch.
Why is that?
AI needs data – and lots of it – to give you better answers. But in Europe, regulators have pushed back against Meta’s ambitions, despite the company warning that to make the tool relevant to EU users, it would need EU data to train on. Remember when Meta gave users in Europe the choice to opt out of using our public posts on its platforms to train the AI? Users in the US did not get the same choice. Meta eventually paused those plans.
Why do I need it?
You don’t really. But some people like having the equivalent of an unpaid intern to pop up and search through their messages on their behalf, or to have a side chat with when they need some extra information to win an argument.
It’s an extra that the AI companies are hoping will become an essential.
It sounds annoying. Can I get rid of it?
Sadly, no. There is no way to limit or disable Meta AI at present. The best you can do for now is ignore it.
