According to Steve Moser from The Tape Drive, Meta is in the process of introducing AI chat capabilities into WhatsApp. Code strings discovered within the mobile application hint at users having the ability to engage in conversations with various AI personalities.
The codes read:
Ensuring user privacy, the embedded strings in the application emphasize that personal messages remain inaccessible to Meta. They further stress that while AI-generated messages may be utilized to enhance the quality of AI, all individual chats will stay end-to-end encrypted, ensuring Meta’s inability to either read or overhear any exchanges.
As per Financial Times, the impending “Personas” chat feature could see the light of day within this month. However, an official timeline for the AI chat’s debut on WhatsApp remains unconfirmed.
In line with this discovery, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg dropped hints about the company’s vision for AI chat not only on WhatsApp but also on Messenger. Highlighting Meta’s strategic move, Zuckerberg shared the company’s intention of inaugurating a dedicated product group.
This group’s prime focus will be to seamlessly incorporate generative AI across Meta’s services, catering to billions of users globally. Initially, the team’s aim will be the creation of innovative tools, but in the grand scheme of things, they intend to roll out “AI personas” designed to aid users in myriad ways.
Moser also speculates the possibility of Meta’s AI chat resembling platforms like Character.ai, an A16Z startup, and ChatGPT, an AI chatbot blueprint from OpenAI.
The successful integration of AI chat into WhatsApp could redefine user interaction with the platform, opening new avenues for customer support, education, entertainment, and beyond. Many businesses use the enterprise version of WhatsApp for customer support.
Last month, the latest beta version of WhatsApp revealed the app would soon let you create AI-generated stickers soon.
