WhatsApp Confirms Testing New AI Features on Beta Users: AI Chabot & Image Editor Expected

• Meta introduced its new AI tool, Meta AI, on the beta version of WhatsApp and Instagram.
• Meta AI is a conversational chatbot that can answer your queries, generate images, and complete other tasks like proofreading and editing
• There's no official release date for the AI tools as of now

On Friday, Meta announced that it has started testing the Gen AI chatbot, Meta AI, on WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram in India.

Our generative AI-powered experiences are under development in varying phases, and we're testing a range of them publicly in a limited capacity.Meta spokesperson

Only selected users with access to the beta version of these apps will be able to Meta AI option on both Androids and iPhones.

Meta AI is just like any other conversational AI. You'll find the shortcut to this tool at the top of the app - click on it and you can get the answer to any question without leaving the app. If you're not sure what to ask, you can simply pick one of the pre-defined prompts.

On top of that, it will also be able to generate images (based on the Emu image synthesis model) and help you with proofreading, editing, and translation.

After the successful launch of Meta AI, the company has also promised to release 28 other AI assistants in the future.

Meta AI will be powered by a custom model that uses technology from Llama 2 and the latest LLM from the company.

For those who don't know, Llama is Meta's own large language model launched last year to compete with Google Gemini and ChatGPT.

We don't have any official update on when these features will be available to the public. Sources say that it will probably test the tools for months before deciding its next course of action.

Other WhatsApp AI Features in the Works

The news about Meta experimenting with AI tools first came in March when an X account called WABetaInfo shared a post. Back then, it was revealed that the feature is currently inactive because they are still working on the UI.

During the same time, Meta was also testing an AI-based photo editor on a few selected users on WhatsApp beta for Android (2.24.7.13).

• It works like any other image in general with the added functionality of generating stickers.
• This tool can also help you restyle or expand your images or even completely change their background.

Another significant feature that was added around the same time was the option to set the default media quality upload. Users can now choose between SD and HD - SD images will be smaller in size whereas HD images will be larger and more detail-oriented.

In Other News

WhatsApp has a lot on its plate right now. On one hand, it is rolling out new AI features one after the other and on the other hand, it's dealing with massive criticism for lowering the minimum age in the EU and UK.

Last week, the company announced that it will be reducing the minimum age to use the app from 16 to 13. This naturally angered a lot of people including campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood and Conservative MP Vicky Ford.

Despite Whatsapp's efforts to justify this move, they called its decision irresponsible and said that the company is prioritizing its shareholders over the well-being of its young users.

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